By Kayhan Life Staff
Nationwide nighttime chanting planned for January 8–9, 2026, at 8:00 p.m.
On Tuesday evening, January 5, 2026, Prince Reza Pahlavi issued his first public call to action in response to a renewed wave of nationwide protests across Iran.
In his statement, Pahlavi said:
“I am sharing my first call with you today and invite you this Thursday and Friday, January 8 and 9, to begin chanting together precisely at 8:00 p.m.—whether in the streets or even from your homes. Based on the response to this action, I will announce further calls.”
He praised what he described as the “commendable resilience” of protesters in the face of ongoing repression by the Islamic Republic, arguing that mass participation can overwhelm security forces, compel them to retreat, and increase the likelihood of defections to the side of demonstrators. For that reason, he emphasized the importance of maintaining both *discipline* and *broad participation* in the protests.
Context for Western readers:
Prince Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last monarch who was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, lives in exile and has emerged as a prominent symbolic figure for segments of Iran’s opposition. The current protests form part of a broader pattern of unrest in Iran in recent years, driven by economic hardship, political repression, and demands for fundamental change. Coordinated nighttime chanting—often carried out from rooftops, streets, or private homes—has become a recurring tactic of dissent, allowing protesters to demonstrate collective defiance while reducing the risks associated with large public gatherings.
