Fresh demonstrations across Tehran and Mashhad signal renewed student mobilisation in Iran, unfolding just as nuclear negotiations with Washington are set to restart in Switzerland.
A street view in Tehran with large portraits of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei displayed on a building, as anti-government protests resurface across university campuses. (File photo | ANI)
Anti-government protests resurfaced across major university campuses in Tehran and Mashhad for a second consecutive day, with students gathering despite tightened security and warnings from authorities. The demonstrations come just days before sensitive nuclear talks between Iran and the United States are set to resume.
The renewed unrest marks one of the first significant waves of campus mobilisation since security forces crushed nationwide protests in January 2026. Rights groups say thousands were killed in that crackdown and estimate that around 40,000 people have been arrested. The Iranian government has put the death toll at more than 3,000, blaming the violence on “terrorists” backed by Israel and the United States.
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Student groups said demonstrations were reported at at least seven university campuses in Tehran and in the northeastern city of Mashhad. Clips verified by global media showed students assembling in groups and shouting slogans even as security presence remained high.
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Reports of gathering at institutions, including the Iran University of Science and Technology and the Tehran University of Art, emerged. The earlier round of protests had sought an end to the rule of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The fresh demonstrations began on Saturday, timed with the beginning of a new academic semester. On Sunday, students reportedly wore black to mourn those killed during previous protests.
Though the Iranian government has not openly confirmed the latest wave, state media reported turmoil on campuses. Semiofficial Mehr News Agency quoted Hossein Goldansaz, the deputy for social affairs at the University of Tehran, as cautioning students against “radical slogans” and violence, reported The New York Times.
The campus unrest unfolds against a backdrop of growing anxiety over a possible military confrontation with the United States. There are reports that some residents are stockpiling essentials amid fears of escalation.
Talks between Washington and Tehran, intended to curb Iran’s nuclear and military capabilities, have yet to achieve a breakthrough. As per regional officials, the United States has boosted its military presence in the region in anticipation of a possible conflict.
The Oman-brokered talks are scheduled to restart in Switzerland on Thursday. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told CBS’s Face the Nation that “a solution is achievable,” but maintained that Tehran would not relinquish its right to uranium enrichment.
Senior fellow at the Washington-based human rights organisation DAWN, Omid Memarian, said the protests underscore deep public frustration. “The government cannot indefinitely invoke the possibility of war to justify silencing dissent,” he said.
The intensity of the latest protests is not clear yet. It is also not certain if they will expand further. Student groups have signalled plans to continue for a third day, with a few in the central city of Isfahan indicating they may participate in the subsequent days.
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