Iran unrest escalates as gunfire, tear gas hit universities amid looming US strike

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Tensions flared Sunday across Iran as anti-government protests reignited at major universities and in the streets of Tehran, with reports of tear gas and shots fired in the capital.

Students gathered in Tehran and the northeastern city of Mashhad to mark 40-day memorials for those killed duringJanuary’s nationwide anti-government demonstrationsbefore violence broke out.

Ali Safavi, a member of Iran’s Parliament-in-Exile, theIRAN OPERATING SECRET ‘BLACK BOX’ SITES HOLDING THOUSANDS IN DETENTION: REPORTS

Student protesters in Iran clash with authorities.(Simay Azadi/Iranntv.com)

“Students were shouting ‘death to the oppressor, whether the Shah or the Leader,’ while in Tehran’s Vali Asr Street forces fired at the crowds, which were mostly young people,” he added.

Safavi also claimed that two motorcycle units composed of men and women affiliated with resistance groups paraded through parts of Tehran carrying flags of the National Liberation Army (NLA), the armed wing associated with the NCRI.

IRAN LOCKS NATION INTO ‘DARKER’ DIGITAL BLACKOUT, VIEWING INTERNET AS AN ‘EXISTENTIAL THREAT’

Buses that were burned during Iran’s protests, in Tehran, Iran, Jan.21, 2026.(Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via Reuters)

In a statement circulated online, university students also condemned what they described as renewed attempts by authorities to suppress dissent.

“Once again we see that the tainted hands of monopolists seek to turn this sacred space into a playground for reactionary forces,” the statement read.“We who have tasted the bitter experience of repression accept no form of dictatorship, whether with a turban or with boots,” it said.

IRAN OPERATING SECRET ‘BLACK BOX’ SITES HOLDING THOUSANDS IN DETENTION: REPORTS

Demonstrators burn pictures of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei outside the Iranian embassy during a rally in support of nationwide protests in Iran, in London, Jan.12, 2026. (Toby Melville/Reuters)

Iran’s state TV showed videos of what it said were people “pretending to be students” attacking pro-government students in Tehran who were taking part in protests to condemn January’s protests.

The individuals were allegedly injuring students by throwing rocks,Reuters reported.

Some witness accounts and opposition groups described a moreforceful response by authorities.

Security forces reportedly fired tear gas at crowds of demonstrators, many of them young people.

At other locations, the protesters also confronted groups of pro-regime demonstrators.

Reports from opposition sources indicated that shots were also fired as security units attempted to disperse gatherings that had spilled beyond campus grounds into surrounding streets.

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Nighttime mobilizations also continued for a second time, with large-scale protests reported across several campuses.

The clashes marked one of the most visible displays of unrest since January’s crackdown and came as Iran faces apotential military strike by the U.S.and amidongoing talks to negotiateover Iran’s nuclear program.

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