During the last weeks, specially the last days, several protest and demonstrations have occurred all over Iran. These are the largest protests in Iran since the 2009 protests which was brutally crushed by the Islamic Regimes security apparatus.

The background for these demonstrations are multi-factorial:

  1. Ordinary people have through the years invested their money in banks which had promised a high interest rate. Many of those investing were low-income families investingtheir last moneys with the hope of making better lives for themselves and their families. In some cases, and they are not few, the investments have been made to be able to with the interest rate, pay for medical treatments which are highly expensive in Iran. It is now evident that these banks were only scamming the people. Not only does the people receive any interest at all, but the money they had invested are all gone. Read more about this here: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-illegal-banks-fail-depositors-protest/28849665.html
  2. The current President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, had promised that once the Iran Deal is made and the embargoes on Iran are removed, money will flood into the country; poverty will be erased and that there will be an end to the expensive living expenses. However, Rouhani has failed; living expenses are now much higher than before as poverty in Iran continues to grow. Read more about this here: https://en.radiofarda.com/a/iran-protests-mashhad/28944529.html
  3. Unemployment is very high in Iran and Rouhani has failed to deal with the matter. In combination with the high poverty rate in Iran, the question of unemployment is of high importance. Read more about this here: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2017/12/28/Demonstrations-in-Iran-Down-with-Rohani-down-with-the-dictator-.html
  4. For 40 years, the Islamic Regime have been ruling Iran with an iron fist. The people use every chance they have to protest against the regime. Read more about this here: https://anfenglish.com/women/protests-continue-in-iran-end-dictatorship-23936

Protests and demonstrations have now taken over all of Iran. What is very interesting here is the fact that we hear slogans in favor of the Monarchy and the late Shah of Iran. This is really not so surprising as the late Shah of Iran and the Monarchy have gained substantial support among young Iranians in the last decades. Please read my previous post in this matter: “Increased support for the Shah in Iran”.

Here are only some example on demonstrations in which pro-monarchy slogans was chanted:

  • In Isfahan. People chanting “Ma Enghelab Kardim, Che Eshtebahi Kardim”, translated to English: “We Did the Revolution,  What a Mistake We Did”, referring to the anti-Shah revolution in 1979.


  • In front of the Tehran University, Tehran. People chanting “Reza Shah, Roohat Shad”, translated to English: “Reza Shah, Rest in Peace”, referring to the founder of the Pahlavi dynasty, Reza Shah Pahlavi, also called Reza Shah the Great.


  • In Mashhad. People chanting “Reza Shah, Rest in Peace”. Mashhad is one the most religious cities of Iran.


  • In Qom. People chanting “Reza Shah, Rest in Peace”. Qom is THE most religious city of Iran in which clerics are educated.


  • In Ghazvin. People chanting “Reza Shah, Rest in Peace”. Ghazvin is a large city close to Tehran.


  • In Saari. People chanting “Reza Shah, Rest in Peace”. Saari is a large city in Northern Iran.


  • In Hashtgerd. People chanting “Reza Shah, Rest in Peace”. Hashtgerd is a city 70 km from Tehran.


  • In Mashhad. People chanting “Iran Ke Shah Nadareh, Hesab, Ketab Nadareh”, translated to English: “Iran Lacks a Shah, Why There are No Order in the Country”.


  • In Sabzevar. People chanting “Iran Lacks a Shah, Why There are No Order in the Country”. Sabzevar is a city in northeastern Iran.


  • Unknown city. People chanting “Ey Shah-e Iran, Bargard Be Iran”, translated to English: “Oh, the Shah of Iran, Return Back to Iran”.


  • In Ahvaz. People chanting “Shahanshah Roohat Shad”, translated to English: “King of Kings, Rest in Peace”, referring to the late Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the last Shah of Iran.


What now, many ask. Unfortunately, I don’t believe that these protests will grow into a revolution. We will not witness the demise of the Islamic Regime in Iran. Looking at the images and clips from Iran, it is still the regular police force which is handling the demonstrations. The infamous Basij and the so called plain clothes have yet not been sent into the streets. The regime does not feel threatened. At least not yet.

If the demonstrations are to be escalated, there will be a bloodshed, just like we witnessed in 2009, if not worse. One of the main problems, are the vast support the Islamic Regime in Iran have with respect to the European Union. One very clear example is the fact that while President Trump have stated his support for the Iranian peoples´ uprising against the Islamic Regime, the European Union and western European countries remain silence. This is a shameful moment in the history of the European Union and in the history of Europe.

We will continue to follow the events in Iran, and in only one way can the Iranian people succeed in overthrowing the Islamic Regime and that is through UNITY.