Jakarta –
Students from a number of universities in Iran staged anti-government protests, the first large-scale demonstrations since a brutal crackdown that killed many people by authorities last month. There were clashes between the demonstrators and the government supporters.
Reported by the BBC, Sunday (22/2/2026), the BBC has verified footage of demonstrators marching on the campus of the Sharif University of Technology in the capital Tehran on Saturday. Then clashes were seen between them and government supporters.
Footage verified by the BBC showed hundreds of demonstrators, many carrying Iranian national flags, marching peacefully on the Sharif University of Technology campus at the start of the new semester on Saturday.
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The crowd chanted “death to the dictator” – referring to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – and other anti-government slogans.
Supporters of a rival pro-government demonstration are seen nearby in the video. A fight was then seen taking place between the two camps.
Verified photos also emerged showing a peaceful sit-in at Shahid Beheshti University in the capital.
The BBC has also verified footage from another university in Tehran, Amir Kabir University of Technology, which shows shouts against the government.
In Mashhad, the second largest city in northeastern Iran, local students reportedly chanted: “Freedom, freedom” and “Students, shout, shout for your rights”.
Large demonstrations in other locations were also reported later in the day, with calls for further demonstrations on Sunday.
It was not immediately clear whether any demonstrators had been arrested.
Sit-ins were also held at other universities in Tehran, and demonstrations were reported in the northeast. Students honor the thousands killed in mass protests in January.
It is known that the US has increased its military presence near Iran. Meanwhile US President Donald Trump said he was considering a limited military strike.
The US and its European allies suspect that Iran is moving towards developing nuclear weapons, something Iran has always denied.
US and Iranian officials met in Switzerland on Tuesday. From that meeting, progress has been made in talks aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear program.
But despite the reported progress, Trump said afterward that the world would know “in the next 10 days or so” whether a deal would be reached with Iran or the US would take military action.
Trump has supported demonstrators in the past, on one occasion appearing to encourage them with a promise that “help is on the way”.
Previously, the massive demonstrations that occurred in Iran last month began with economic complaints and soon spread to become the largest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
See also Video: Iran Ensures No Demonstrators Will Be Executed by Death Penalty
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