College college students maintain new protests in Iran round memorials for these killed : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2d%2F6a%2F41888e5f4b43a3a503d64f2a62b4%2Fap26053305595304.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6000x4000+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2d%2F6a%2F41888e5f4b43a3a503d64f2a62b4%2Fap26053305595304.jpg" class="img" alt="Pedestrians walk past a billboard depicting a U.S. aircraft carrier with damaged fighter jets on its deck and a sign in Farsi and English reading, "If you sow the wind, you'll reap the whirlwind," at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) Square in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026." fetchpriority="high"/> Pedestrians stroll previous a billboard depicting a U.S. plane service with broken fighter jets on its deck and an indication in Farsi and English studying, "In case you sow the wind, you may reap the whirlwind," at Enqelab-e-Eslami (Islamic Revolution) Sq. in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026. Vahid Salemi/AP conceal caption

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Vahid Salemi/AP DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — New anti-government protests have begun in Iran, witnesses mentioned Sunday, as college college students in Tehran and one other metropolis demonstrated round memorials for 1000's of individuals killed in a crackdown on earlier nationwide demonstrations about six weeks in the past.

Iran's state information company mentioned college students protested at 5 universities within the capital, Tehran, and one within the metropolis of Mashhad on Sunday. The scattered protests erupted Saturday at universities following 40-day memorials for individuals killed in January throughout anti-government rallies.

Iran's authorities has not commented on the newest protests.

Many Iranians have held ceremonies marking the standard 40-day mourning interval up to now week. A lot of the protesters are believed to have been killed round Jan. 8 and 9, in response to activists monitoring the state of affairs.

Iranians throughout the nation are nonetheless reeling with shock, grief and worry after the sooner protests had been crushed by the deadliest crackdown ever seen below the rule of 86-year-old Supreme Chief Ali Khamenei. 1000's of individuals had been killed and tens of 1000's are believed to have been arrested.

Though the crackdown tamped down the most important protests, smaller ones are nonetheless occurring, in response to protesters and to movies shared on social media.

Throughout the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the shah and introduced the Islamic Republic to energy, 40-day memorials for slain protesters usually changed into rallies that safety forces tried to crush, inflicting new deaths. These had been then marked 40 days later, with new protests.

Posts on social media Saturday and Sunday have alleged that safety forces tried to limit individuals from attending some 40-day ceremonies.

The brand new protests come whereas Iran braces for the potential of a U.S. assault, because the Trump administration pushes for concessions from Iran on its nuclear program and different points. The U.S. has constructed up its largest navy presence within the Center East in a long time.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists Information Company says a minimum of 7,015 individuals had been killed within the earlier protests and crackdown, together with 214 authorities forces. The group has been correct in counting deaths throughout earlier rounds of unrest in Iran and depends on a community of activists there to confirm deaths.

The demise toll continues to rise because the group crosschecks data regardless of disrupted communication with these contained in the Islamic Republic.

Iran's authorities supplied its solely demise toll from the earlier protests on Jan. 21, saying 3,117 individuals had been killed. Iran's theocracy up to now has undercounted or not reported fatalities from previous unrest.

The Related Press has been unable to independently assess the demise toll, given authorities have disrupted web entry and worldwide calls in Iran.

U.S. President Donald Trump warned on Friday that restricted strikes towards Iran are attainable whilst Iran's International Minister Abbas Araghchi mentioned Tehran expects to have a proposed deal prepared within the subsequent few days, following oblique nuclear talks with the US.

The actions of extra U.S. warships and airplanes, with the usGerald R. Ford plane service close to the mouth of the Mediterranean Sea, do not assure a U.S. strike on Iran, however they bolster Trump's skill to hold out one if he chooses.