By: Zaher Baher

09/01/2026

According to informed sources, demonstrations have spread to 150 cities and 600 towns across all 31 provinces of Iran during the past twelve days, including the western provinces of Ilam, Kermanshah and Lorestan. Several towns, along with the city of Abadan, are reported to be no longer under government control and are now in the hands of the people.

The protest that began on 27 December was triggered by the sharp decline in the national currency. This development made it harder for the government to address the concerns raised by citizens and protesters. In addition, the government announced the end of a subsidised exchange rate for importers, a decision that has already caused grocery prices to rise sharply.

Last night, Thursday, the protests spread to major cities such as Tehran and Mashhad, reaching the northern districts as well as many other cities and towns. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets. At the same time, in most major cities and towns across Kurdistan, residents went on strike, and shops, schools, hospitals, municipal offices, public services and other institutions were closed as people gathered outside. Although the authorities shut down internet access, photos and videos of the crowds and the police crackdown on demonstrators still found their way onto social media.

Fortunately, the uprising is not directed by any political party and has no central leadership. Although Reza Pahlavi has attempted to align himself with it by sending messages and issuing statements from abroad, he does not hold a strong position inside Iran. Most of his associates and supporters are based in Europe, Canada, the United States and other countries.

What happened last night gave significant momentum to the demonstrations and to the hopes of the people, placing the uprising in a sensitive and challenging phase. This is the point at which the next steps of this movement will be shaped, and it cannot remain as it is now. It will either continue with greater force, drawing in more participants from additional cities and towns, or it may move toward a temporary quiet. I will never describe it as failure, because it cannot be defeated if the people involved now, or those who come after them, continue the struggle and build on the valuable experience gained. At the same time, some of their demands are being addressed, and in certain ways the movement has shaken the regime and created a significant fracture that could lead to its collapse with another major shock. This is the nature of uprisings and revolutions.

Let us not forget that the people are standing against an oppressive regime that shows no mercy or compassion toward the people of Iran, while we see in the southern Fars province and other areas, brave demonstrators pulled down the statue of Qassem Suleimani, the former senior Revolutionary Guards al Quds Force commander who is regarded by government supporters as a national hero. He had been portrayed as a key figure in Iran’s internal development as well as in directing assistance and various forms of support to allied armed groups in other countries.

On the other hand, the regime understands that the people who have shaken the foundations of its rule could ultimately bring it down, so it resorts to every possible tactic, including deception and repression, in an effort to survive. According to the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights (IHR), as of Thursday the death toll has reached 45, with more than 200 injured and over 2,400 people arrested.

There is another point to consider: the current uprising is not as large as the Woman, Life, Freedom movement or the 2009–2010 Green Movement. It is true that both of those movements, especially Woman, Life, Freedom, made major strides. They weakened the grip of the authorities to some extent, delivered an important lesson to them and restored courage and confidence among the Iranian people. More importantly, they laid the groundwork for what is happening now. The difference between then and now is that Iran has become significantly weaker after the recent twelve-day conflict with Israel, and people have gained greater experience in mobilising and adapting their tactics against the police, the Basij and the Revolutionary Guards.

It is impossible to predict with certainty whether this uprising will stop at this point or lead to the fall of the Iranian regime. However, it can be said that if people in Iran seek only to change the individuals in power, replacing this regime with another, the oppression, hardship, lack of freedom and hunger experienced over the past forty-seven years under the rule of the Mullahs and earlier governments will not come to an end.

Let us hope that the people of Iran will choose a path that rejects simply replacing this regime with another, and instead take control of their own affairs and lives, free from both centralized and decentralized authorities. May they come to the conviction that true freedom for all exists outside the power of government and the state, and that unless everyone is free, the freedom of individuals or any community cannot be fully realized.