{"id":6423,"date":"2026-02-28T12:37:41","date_gmt":"2026-02-28T12:37:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jubaglobal.com\/?p=6423"},"modified":"2026-02-28T12:37:42","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T12:37:42","slug":"protests-erupt-in-iran-amid-strikes-resistance-groups-rally-internationally","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/directtopic.com\/jubaglobal.com\/protests-erupt-in-iran-amid-strikes-resistance-groups-rally-internationally\/","title":{"rendered":"Protests Erupt in Iran Amid Strikes; Resistance Groups Rally Internationally"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Juba Global News Network | JubaGlobal.com<\/strong>
February 28, 2026<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As U.S. and Israeli airstrikes continued to pound military and regime-linked targets across Iran for a second day, scattered but increasingly visible protests broke out in several Iranian cities Saturday, marking the first significant public demonstrations since the military campaign began. The unrest\u2014combined with large solidarity rallies by Iranian exile and opposition communities in Geneva, London, Paris, Los Angeles, and Toronto\u2014has injected a volatile domestic political dimension into what had so far been portrayed primarily as a military confrontation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eyewitness accounts and citizen videos smuggled out via VPNs and encrypted messaging apps showed small crowds gathering in Tehran\u2019s Enghelab Square, Shiraz\u2019s Vakil Bazaar area, Isfahan near Naqsh-e Jahan Square, and Tabriz\u2019s historic bazaar. Demonstrators\u2014many of them young women and university students\u2014chanted variations of \u201cDeath to the Dictator,\u201d \u201cWoman, Life, Freedom,\u201d and \u201cMullahs must go\u2014now is the time.\u201d In several locations, protesters waved pre-1979 Iranian flags (the lion-and-sun emblem) and held signs reading \u201cThank you Trump\u201d and \u201cRegime change is our only chance,\u201d direct echoes of President Donald Trump\u2019s overnight video address urging Iranians to \u201ctake over your government.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Security forces responded swiftly and harshly. Riot police and Basij paramilitaries deployed tear gas, batons, and in at least two confirmed cases, live ammunition. Amateur footage from Tehran showed plainclothes agents dragging away several protesters, while state television broadcast images of \u201cforeign-backed rioters\u201d being arrested. Iran\u2019s Interior Ministry claimed the demonstrations were \u201climited to a few dozen troublemakers manipulated by Zionist and American agents\u201d and reported 47 arrests nationwide by late afternoon local time. Independent human-rights monitors, however, estimated the number of detainees could be several times higher, with reports of injuries and at least one confirmed death\u2014a 24-year-old man shot in Shiraz, according to the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The protests appeared to gain modest momentum after Trump\u2019s explicit regime-change appeal went viral on banned platforms such as Instagram, Telegram, and Signal despite heavy internet throttling. Clips of the president\u2019s words were dubbed into Persian and shared in private groups, with many users adding captions such as \u201cHe\u2019s right\u2014this is our moment\u201d and \u201cNo more fear.\u201d Analysts noted that while the scale of Saturday\u2019s demonstrations remained far smaller than the 2009 Green Movement or the 2022 nationwide uprising following Mahsa Amini\u2019s death, the explicit linkage to foreign military action represented a new and dangerous variable for the Islamic Republic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abroad, Iranian diaspora communities seized the moment to organize some of the largest solidarity rallies seen in years. In Geneva, more than 3,000 people gathered outside the United Nations European headquarters, waving Iranian pre-revolutionary flags and chanting \u201cFree Iran\u201d while displaying banners that read \u201cSupport the Iranian people\u2014end the terrorist regime.\u201d Similar scenes unfolded in London\u2019s Trafalgar Square (estimated 4,500 attendees), Los Angeles\u2019 Pershing Square (over 6,000), and Toronto\u2019s Nathan Phillips Square. Monarchist groups, secular democrats, Kurdish and Baluchi activists, and supporters of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) marched together\u2014an unusual display of unity\u2014demanding international recognition of the protesters inside Iran and tougher sanctions on the IRGC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Several prominent exiled figures addressed the crowds. Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah, told the Geneva rally via video link: \u201cThe people of Iran are ready. The regime is weaker than ever. This is not about foreign intervention; it is about Iranians reclaiming their country.\u201d Masih Alinejad, the exiled journalist and women\u2019s rights activist, spoke in New York, urging the international community to \u201camplify the voices of those risking their lives right now instead of negotiating with their jailers.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Inside Iran, the clerical establishment moved quickly to frame the protests as treasonous collusion with the enemy. State media broadcast confessions from arrested demonstrators (widely believed to be coerced) and ran segments accusing the United States and Israel of \u201cengineering chaos to cover their war crimes.\u201d Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose whereabouts remained unconfirmed after reports he had been moved to a secure bunker, issued a written message read on state television calling for \u201cunity against the invaders and their domestic mercenaries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The intersection of external bombardment and internal dissent has created a high-stakes dilemma for the regime. Heavy-handed suppression risks inflaming public anger at a moment when military resources are stretched thin defending against further airstrikes. A lighter touch, however, could embolden larger crowds and encourage defections within the security apparatus\u2014precisely the scenario Trump appeared to be betting on in his address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

International human-rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, called on all parties to protect civilian lives and urged the United Nations to establish an emergency monitoring mechanism inside Iran. Western governments have so far limited their public comments to expressions of concern over civilian casualties from the strikes, while privately some officials acknowledge that visible domestic unrest could alter the strategic calculus of the ongoing operation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether Saturday\u2019s protests represent the first sparks of a broader uprising or are quickly smothered remains uncertain. But one fact is already clear: the military campaign against Iran has opened a second front\u2014inside the country itself\u2014and the Iranian people are beginning to make their voices heard amid the smoke and sirens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Juba Global News Network will continue to track developments inside Iran and among diaspora communities. Verified citizen reports and live updates available at JubaGlobal.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By: Juba Global News Network | JubaGlobal.com<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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