First of two parts
THE protests that greeted Iran just before the New Year may be regarded by some as the start of a revolution, or more accurately, a counterrevolution. The millions of Iranians who marched through the streets and gathered at the centers of all the country’s cities and provinces were not only decrying current economic conditions, but also demanding regime change. They were heard shouting “Death to Khamenei!,” in reference to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Shia cleric who became the country’s supreme leader after the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of the 1979 Islamic Revolution and founder of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Along the way, the protesters had torched mosques, seminaries, madrassas (Islamic schools), and local offices of the regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, making Iran look like it was all on fire in videos. They peeled off posters of Khamenei wherever they found them and toppled statues of the regime’s heroes.
More visible among the protesters in this year’s demonstrations than in the 1979 revolution is the participation of women of all ages. They probably did not realize then that they would lose the freedom to wear whatever dress they want in public and fix their hair in any way they want. Under the Islamic Republic, they are required to cover themselves in black raiments called “chadors.” Igniting similar protests not so long ago was the case of a woman who was arrested for exposing her hair and was allegedly beaten to death while in the custody of the morality police. They also cannot be seen in public in the company of men who are not their immediate relatives. These female protesters have made it a ritual to remove their head coverings conspicuously and throw them into the fire.
The protesters made clear the overall purpose of their actions: to reverse the effects of the 1979 Islamic Revolution and restore the golden era preceding it. They held up pre-1979 flags featuring the image of a sword-carrying lion and a blazing sun behind it at the center, set against horizontal bands of red, white and green. They shouted “Return our king!,” referring to exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, who has offered himself as the leader of the current protest movement and to lead the transition to a secular, democratic Iran that may follow. Pahlavi envisions to start that process with a referendum, leaving it to the people to decide which form of government they want: a constitutional monarchy, a republic, or whatever.
Pahlavi is a charismatic person and appears to have credibility as a democratic leader since he grew up in the West, has a Western education, is a respected and well-loved member of the Iranian diaspora, and has an active and consistent record of championing the human rights of his people back home. It was in response to his call on their mobile phones that Iranians are leaving their homes, walking to, and occupying town and city centers across Iran. His messages have given them purpose and inspiration.
There is no freedom of expression and assembly in the Islamic Republic. The protesters knew that joining demonstrations and waving Pahlavi-era flags could cost them their lives. People have died in previous protests. But the people of Iran today are desperate. They are on the verge of dying anyway from the scarcity of food and water, brought by the regime’s mismanagement of the economy. Inflation is between 40 percent and 50 percent in general and 64 percent to 73 percent in food items. The Iranian rial has fallen to a record low of 1.43 million to the United States dollar.
To be concluded on Feb. 7, 2026
