By Kayhan Life Staff
Weeks after a national uprising that was brutally crushed by the Islamic Republic and led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people, protests in Iran are starting back up in the country’s major universities — despite the heavy presence of security forces, riot police and members of the Basij.
On Feb. 22, large student gatherings took place at several major institutions including the University of Tehran, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran University of Art, Amirkabir University of Technology, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in the northwestern province of Khorasan Razavi, K. N. Toosi University of Technology, Sharif University of Technology, and Shahid Beheshti University.
Protesters raised Iran’s pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun national flag, chanted slogans condemning the killing of demonstrators and expressed support for what they described as a “national revolution.”
Meanwhile, at those and other universities — Isfahan University of Technology, Islamic Azad University of Sari, and Allameh Tabatabai University — student groups announced that they had set up “Lion and Sun Associations,” signaling solidarity and a coordinated effort between campuses across the country.
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At Islamic Azad University of Sari, in the northern province of Mazandaran, the association issued a statement declaring that, despite current conditions, an alternative path for Iran remained possible. Referring to the violent events of Jan. 8 and 9, when tens of thousands of people in cities nationwide were met with live ammunition fired by government forces, the group adopted the slogan “Javid Shah” (“Long live the Shah”).
Similar statements were issued by Tehran’s Allameh Tabatabai University and other institutions, emphasizing support for Prince Reza Pahlavi to lead the country in a transitional period ushering democracy.
These announcements coincided with the 40th day of commemoration for those killed in the nationwide unrest, which has come to be known by supporters as the “Lion and Sun Revolution.”
The founding board of the Lion and Sun Association at the University of Tehran stated that it was fully aware of the “campus climate and the longstanding restrictions on student activities.” It emphasized that “the association had only recently begun operating and had not participated in earlier calls to action.”
The founding board of the association also argued that “certain ideological currents, including leftist groups, have long dominated campus gatherings and shaped student demands according to their own perspectives.”
Outlining two principal objectives — unity under the Lion and Sun flag, and support for Prince Reza Pahlavi in pursuit of a prosperous, secular, and democratic Iran — the association’s board announced that “all official positions and statements will be published exclusively through its designated communication channel.”
These messages “will promote a free Iran” using slogans such as “This is not the last battle; Pahlavi will return,” “Long live the Shah,” and “Reza Reza Pahlavi.”
This is how the first joint call for campus mobilization was issued by the Lion and Sun Association and the Kaviani Association at the University of Tehran.
In a statement honoring Raha Bahloulipour, Aida Heydari, Mohammad Reza Moradali, and Ali Behrouz (who lost their lives in the January unrest), they declared Monday Feb. 23 to be a day of national mourning at the university.
They urged students to gather in large numbers in protest and remembrance, asserting that their unified presence would send a clear message to “university authorities, professors, and Basij thugs that the campus would remain in mourning and protest until the day of freedom.”
Meanwhile, on Feb. 22, the founders of the Lion and Sun Association at the Iran University of Science and Technology in Tehran released a statement on their Telegram channel describing the university as a “source of thought and social awakening.”
Referring to the deaths of two students, Ali Abbas Zoraghchian and Mohammad Jafarpour, and the arrest of another, Majid Jamshidzadeh, they wrote that “at a time when public dissent is met with repression,” they were seeking to “serve as the voice of the Lion and Sun Revolution and the people of Iran.”
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They reiterated support for Prince Reza Pahlavi’s leadership during a transitional phase. They stressed four core principles: “Secularism, preservation of Iran’s territorial integrity, commitment to democracy, and free elections to determine the country’s future political system.”
The Lion and Sun Association at the Amirkabir University of Technology honored Zahra Mohammadi, a Polytechnic student and “proud daughter of Najafabad,” recognizing her as a source of inspiration.
In a statement published on Feb. 22, the group called for another gathering on Feb. 24, declaring that “the deaths of fellow students had eliminated any possibility of returning to the status quo.”
It called for “the Islamic Republic to step aside and for a transitional government led by Prince Reza Pahlavi to guide the country toward secularism and democracy.”
The association invited students to participate in a silent and peaceful march, “dressed in black,” from beneath the university gate to the Faculty of Textile Engineering, followed by a sit-in along the route.
Organizers stated that “no slogans were necessary”, arguing that their message had already resonated nationwide. They maintained that peaceful protest could not legitimately be suppressed and urged students to stand together, asserting that “unity would overcome repression.”
In a separate statement circulated the same day, students at the Amirkabir University of Technology declared that they would not submit to what they described as “oppression by the clerical establishment.”
Calling for solidarity and collective action, they affirmed their intention to “continue the path of those killed during the unrest of December 2025–January 2026.”
They invited supporters to gather at the Hafez Gate entrance for a third consecutive day of demonstrations, pledging to persist until Iran was “freed from tyranny.”
The statement concluded with the slogans “Long live Iran” and “Long live the Shah.”
At the University of Isfahan, a group of students issued a statement expressing solidarity with peers nationwide.
They described the Islamic Republic as “illegitimate,” voiced support for Reza Pahlavi to lead a transitional period and pledged to continue the path of their late classmate, Matin Rangkesh, a 23-year-old from Isfahan who was killed during the January unrest.
On Feb. 21, the Lion and Sun Association at the Isfahan University of Technology announced its support for what it termed “the Lion and Sun Revolution under Pahlavi’s leadership,” becoming the second organized student body to do so.
The association called for a gathering and emphasized the responsibility of universities to play an active role in political and social developments, describing them as “bastions of awareness and advocacy.”
At K. N. Toosi University of Technology, students gathered to protest the deaths of demonstrators, chanting “Long live the Shah” and “This is not the last battle; Pahlavi will return.”
According to the university newsletter, the rally turned violent when Basij forces reportedly attacked the crowd and beat several students.
At Sharif University of Technology, large groups of students voiced similar slogans, including “Long live the Shah” and “By the blood of our comrades, we stand until the end.”
Shahid Beheshti University saw a second consecutive day of protests linked to the uprising that began at the Amirkabir University of Technology, with students again repeating pro-Pahlavi chants.
With the start of the new academic term and amid continuing demonstrations on Feb. 22, protest gatherings and sit-ins were also reported at the University of Tehran and Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, in addition to the campuses already mentioned.
In a joint statement issued that day, students at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad and Mashhad University of Medical Sciences pledged to continue protests until what they called “the victory of a national revolution.”
According to a message sent to Amirkabir Newsletter, they stated that despite security pressure, threats, and campus restrictions, they remained committed to the pledge they had made “with the blood of the fallen.”
Referring to those killed in recent demonstrations as the “eternal names of the homeland,” they vowed to persist in their activism under the banner of the “tricolor Lion and Sun flag” and in alignment with “the leadership of Reza Pahlavi.”
