Student Protests Persist Across Iranian Universities as Authorities Escalate Disciplinary and Judicial Measures
Student protests have continued across multiple Iranian universities, deepening tensions between demonstrators and authorities and prompting a widening wave of disciplinary suspensions, virtual class transitions, and official threats of judicial intervention. The latest developments follow renewed campus mobilizations that began after universities reopened in the wake of the bloody January unrest. Since returning to in-person classes, students in Tehran and several provincial cities have organized daily gatherings, sit-ins, and strikes, while clashes between protesters and pro-government student groups have intensified in some campuses.
At the University of Tehran, three students were temporarily suspended for what officials described as “disrespect toward the national flag.” According to reports, the university president issued a temporary suspension order pending a disciplinary council session. The names of the students have not been publicly released. In recent demonstrations, some protesters reportedly tore and burned the flag of the Islamic Republic while raising the pre-revolutionary Lion and Sun flag, reflecting the sharp symbolic polarization visible on campuses.
Meanwhile, the scale of disciplinary measures appears to be expanding significantly. According to a report by the newspaper Shargh, at least 180 students at the University of Tehran have been barred from entering campus pending disciplinary review. These students reportedly received text messages stating that their participation in an “illegal gathering” violated educational and disciplinary regulations and that their access to university grounds was prohibited until further notice. In addition, more than 60 other students were allegedly banned through verbal notification by university security officials, without formal written communication.
The unrest has spread to numerous institutions, including Khajeh Nasir University, Shahid Beheshti University, Alzahra University, Soore University, the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Tehran, and Iran University of Science and Technology, where both protest gatherings and clashes have been reported. At some campuses, including Khajeh Nasir and Iran University of Science and Technology, confrontations between protesters and pro-government supporters reportedly turned violent. At Alzahra and Shahid Beheshti, students staged sit-ins, chanting slogans such as “Freedom, Freedom” and “We don’t want spectators, join us.” Images circulating online also show that at the University of Science and Technology, police forces were stationed outside the campus while university security reportedly documented the identities of students wearing black clothing, a symbol of mourning connected to those killed during the January crackdown.
As protests have widened, several universities have shifted toward virtual instruction. Allameh Tabataba’i University announced that all classes across all degree levels will be held online until the end of Esfand (March). Earlier, Islamic Azad University declared that its theoretical classes would move online from 9 Esfand through the end of the academic year. According to the Telegram channel “United Students,” universities in Kurdistan, Zanjan, Elm-o-Farhang, and Kharazmi had already made similar announcements. Some conservative lawmakers have openly advocated for this approach. Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, a principlist member of parliament, described virtual classes as a “more prudent decision” given the current climate and warned against deepening polarization on campuses.
Senior judicial and political officials have simultaneously adopted a more confrontational tone. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, head of the judiciary, publicly warned that students who committed “crimes” must be identified and referred to judicial authorities, stating that if the Ministry of Science does not introduce them, the judiciary would act independently—“at a higher cost.” He specifically condemned the burning of the national flag and the chanting of certain slogans as incompatible with university environments. The Prosecutor General, Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, similarly called for swift identification and “decisive legal action” against those allegedly connected to the unrest, asserting that such mobilizations often coincide with sensitive political moments and external pressures on the country.
The Minister of Science, Hossein Simayi-Sarraf, stated that he supports in-person classes “provided that universities are not arenas of violence, insult, and hatred.” He warned that if unrest continues, he may be compelled to transition institutions to virtual instruction. At the same time, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani acknowledged that students have the “right to protest” and may carry emotional grievances following January’s events, but emphasized that religious sanctities and the national flag constitute “red lines.”
The Sharif University of Technology has also become a focal point of controversy. University President Masoud Tajrishi confirmed that the prosecutor’s office intends to intervene in campus developments. He stated that both protesting students and pro-government student groups had organized unauthorized gatherings and that members of both sides have been temporarily barred from campus access. He further warned that if the number of banned students grows, the university may shift entirely to online instruction.
In a separate incident, Sharif University’s website was reportedly subjected to cyberattacks. For a brief period, parts of the site displayed the university’s pre-revolutionary name, “Aryamehr University of Technology.” A statement attributed to a group of students claimed responsibility, describing the action as a symbolic reminder of a historical identity they believe cannot be erased. University officials later characterized the event as a cyberattack and temporarily took the site offline to protect data.
Taken together, the developments suggest an escalating cycle: expanding student mobilization, growing disciplinary sanctions, increasing judicial threats, and a broad shift toward virtual education as a mechanism of control. University campuses, long central to Iran’s political mobilization and discourse, once again stand at the intersection of generational dissent, institutional authority, and symbolic struggle.