Iran’s Campuses Boil Weeks After Deadly Protests; Videos Show Chants Urging US To ‘Finish The Job’

Last Updated:February 22, 2026, 03:17 IST

Videos circulating online show anti-government chants and scuffles on Iranian college campuses weeks after a deadly crackdown.

Iranian students clashed with counter-protesters and chanted anti-government slogans at several universities on Saturday, signalling fresh unrest against the country’s clerical leadership even as Tehran faces mounting external pressure tied to nuclear negotiations.

Videos circulating online showed protests at major campuses in Tehran and Mashhad, with demonstrators chanting slogans such as “Death to Khamenei" and “Freedom". Some voices in the crowd could also be heard urging US action. Another clip from Sharif University of Technology showed students chanting against the supreme leader as tensions flared on campus.

News18 could not independently verify the videos.

The gatherings, reported by local and diaspora media outlets, come weeks after a mass protest wave that triggered a sweeping government crackdown last month.

That crackdown left thousands dead, according to human rights groups, deepening domestic tensions and drawing global scrutiny.

The unrest has unfolded alongside heightened US pressure on Tehran. President Donald Trump had earlier threatened military intervention following the crackdown, though Washington’s focus has since shifted to Iran’s nuclear programme, which Western governments fear could be aimed at developing a bomb.

The United States and Iran have recently resumed Oman-mediated talks aimed at reaching a deal, even as Washington boosts its military posture in the region. The US has deployed two aircraft carriers along with fighter jets and additional weaponry, signalling both diplomatic engagement and deterrence.

Separately, videos geolocated by AFP to Tehran’s leading engineering university showed scuffles breaking out as protesters shouted “bi sharaf", meaning “disgraceful" in Farsi. Footage aired by the Persian-language broadcaster Iran also showed large crowds chanting anti-government slogans at Sharif University.

Earlier this week, demonstrators revived protest chants to mark 40 days since a deadly peak in unrest on January 8 and 9, when nationwide demonstrations surged.

Students and supporters again gathered across several universities in the capital on Saturday, according to local media.

The protest movement first erupted in December over prolonged economic hardship but soon evolved into wider anti-government demonstrations. Security forces responded with a violent crackdown that authorities say left more than 3,000 people dead.

Officials have blamed the violence on what they describe as “terrorist acts" backed by foreign adversaries.

However, the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) estimates that more than 7,000 people were killed, most of them protesters, warning the true toll could be higher.

While Iranian authorities initially acknowledged the economic grievances behind the demonstrations, they later accused long-time rivals the United States and Israel of fuelling unrest as protests took on a more overtly anti-government tone.

News world Iran’s Campuses Boil Weeks After Deadly Protests; Videos Show Chants Urging US To ‘Finish The Job’

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