On the 2025-2026 Iran Protests

Huge protests in Iran have erupted with the more than 50% devaluation of the Iranian Rial against the US Dollar. The country had already been going through a deep economic crisis for months. Inflation and the subsequent rise in everyday necessities are the main sources of contempt. Combined with the existing hatred for the Mollah regime and all of its corruptions, the streets filled with protestors on 28^th of December.

The protests were chiefly spearheaded by thousands of shopkeepers in Tehran Bazaar and other commercial centers in Tehran, the capital. Soon, with the fervor spreading to university campuses and students joining in, the protests quickly spread over Tehran and other provinces including Loristan.

Apart from taking to the streets, the shopkeepers have closed tent and some workers went on strike. Since the beginning of the protests violent clashes instigated by the regime’s militia have been deadly. In the videos and images circulating in Persian and international internet spheres, water cannons, tear gas and brute force were used on the unarmed protestors. So far, 17 peaceful protestors (including a 15 year old boy) have been killed by the Mollah forces.

President Pezeshkian sought to calm the protestors by stating his commitment to economic reforms and addressing corruption. He also took some notable people of power away from their positions as a result of these protests, which is unprecedented.

All the while declaring recess in city centers and university campuses due to “cold weather” and “energy savings”.  This move is considered to an un-official curfew set to end the protests. The protests have not stopped as the regime’s empty promises hold no credibility in the eyes of the public.

The US-Israel bloc was all too keen to capitalize on the righteous discontent of the Iranian people. US president Donald Trump posted on his conservative social media platform Truth Social that US was “locked and loaded” and ready to intervene if the Mollah regime killed any protestors. The Iranian people give no credence to Trump and his madness. It is clear to both the world and especially to the Iranians that a foreign intervention from the US will spell out unimaginable destruction and suffering, not liberty nor human rights. This banditry and hawkish behavior need to be treaded carefully. These kinds of statements actually lead to the unorganized masses to lose morale.

The deepening poverty of the Iranian people and the multifaceted crisis engulfing the country are the result of a dual pressure. On the one hand, harsh imperialist embargoes and sanctions continue to suffocate the economy. On the other, the corrupt capitalist clerical regime itself actively fuels social decay and inequality. At the same time, the regime is increasingly cornered, particularly as it faces the growing threat of direct Israeli military aggression.

Yet despite the regime’s evident fragility and the mounting anger of the masses, Iran confronts a profound crisis of political leadership. This vacuum has enabled imperialist powers to promote Reza Pahlavi as a supposed alternative, seeking to recycle a discredited figure in the service of external interests.

As seen previously in Iraq and Syria, Iran now stands in the crosshairs of imperialist intervention. However, neither a Western-backed proxy such as Pahlavi nor the reactionary and decayed clerical regime can offer a way forward. The only genuine path to liberation lies in the organized struggle and collective action of Iran’s working and laboring people, who alone possess the power to overthrow both domestic oppression and imperialist domination.

Down with the Mollah Regime!

Long Live Socialist Middle East Federation!