Woman in Tehran praises students for reigniting protests after bloody crackdown

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As Iran's caller world twelvemonth began implicit the weekend, large-scale protests erupted crossed respective universities — the archetypal sustained field unrest since the clerical regime's bloody nationwide crackdown successful December and January.

The Virginia-based Human Rights Activists News Agency said much than 7,000 radical person been confirmed killed, portion the whereabouts and information of much than 11,000 others stay unknown.

The caller flare-ups, which began Saturday, openly situation the authorities to suppress dissent erstwhile again — adjacent arsenic the last decease toll from the earlier question of unit has yet to beryllium made official, with tens of thousands feared dead. Now, for a 3rd consecutive day, pupil protests person breached out.

"They are not stupid, they are brave," said 1 anti-government protester who CBS News was capable to marque interaction with successful Tehran. "Because arsenic you spot successful the protests successful universities, determination is the emblem of the prima and the lion and they are chanting 'Javid Shah.' For some of these elements, they person (the) decease punishment and prison. So they are brave to bash this. They're not stupid."

The politically charged operation "Javid Shah" means "Long unrecorded the shah." It refers to Iran's past monarch, Mohammed Reza Palavi, who was deposed during the Islamic Revolution of 1979. Inside Iran — and astatine demonstrations overseas — a vocal monarchist question has been advocating for his son, Reza Pahlavi, to presume enactment should Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the clerical constitution fall.

Iranian absorption fig Reza Pahlavi and his woman Yasmine Pahlavi be a objection during the Munich Security Conference successful Munich, Germany, Feb. 14, 2026.

At Iran's universities, determination person besides been pro-regime demonstrations and astatine slightest 1 convulsive clash betwixt opposing groups. The protester who spoke to CBS News said that speaking retired risks situation oregon death. But with truthful galore protesters killed, she said she feels guilt astatine inactive being alive.

"I americium truthful ashamed, I americium arsenic (a) human, truthful ashamed that different radical spell retired connected (the) thoroughfare and got killed — and I'm live close now," she said. "So I privation my grief to beryllium a dependable for my people."

She said she was among the galore Iranians who protested past period successful each of the country's 31 provinces and astir 200 cities. On Jan. 8, successful Tehran, she said, "I saw radical lying successful the streets due to the fact that they were shot. They were dead." The adjacent day, she said, "I witnessed a miss was changeable 2 times and I was truthful acrophobic that I came backmost home."

"Our astir fearfulness is to witnesser this authorities beryllium successful powerfulness again, truthful we spell and we protestation again and again and again," she said.

The protester asked not to beryllium named for fearfulness of authorities reprisal. On camera, she covered her look and eyes with a scarf and acheronian sunglasses. CBS News verified she was successful Iran. Sunlight streamed into the country wherever she sat. She besides displayed a unrecorded quality programme showing the existent clip successful the state and said she and galore Iranians are intimately watching the important U.S. subject buildup astir their region.

"I privation to spot subject involution into Iran," she said.

The astir precocious U.S. craft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, sailed done the Strait of Gibraltar implicit the play and is present successful the Mediterranean Sea, moving person to the Middle East. The Ford and its onslaught radical of cruise-missile destroyers, littoral combat ships and apt astatine slightest 1 submarine joined the USS Abraham Lincoln craft bearer and its accompanying vessels, which person been successful the portion for astir a period — creating what officials picture arsenic the largest U.S. subject buildup successful the Middle East since the 2003 Iraq War.

The USS Gerald R. Ford craft bearer arrives astatine Souda Bay disconnected the land of Crete, Greece, Feb. 23, 2026.

"I consciousness precise hopeful. I'm not frightened astatine all," the protester said. "I consciousness blessed astir the displacement that the United States is bringing here. I privation from God to statesman a warfare successful here. I'm not a idiosyncratic of warfare involvement but successful this situation, we don't person immoderate different chance."

She said that if U.S. subject involution comes to Iran, she believes "many radical volition spell out" to protestation and effort to bring down the regime.

And with President Trump preparing to present his State of the Union code connected Tuesday night, she had a connection for him — and hopes helium has 1 for Iran.

"President Trump, you told america that assistance is connected the way," she said. "You promised america that you volition assistance america spell done this. They don't halt executions successful Iran. There was 11 radical executed conscionable today. Go connected your committedness and assistance us."

She said she does not privation negotiations betwixt the U.S. and Iran and called Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi "a terrorist."

The adjacent circular of indirect talks, mediated by Oman, is scheduled to instrumentality spot successful Geneva connected Thursday.

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