Following Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi’s call, millions demonstrated on 8 and 9 January 2026, chanting slogans including “Javid Shah.”. The uprising demonstrated the nation’s demand for transition toward a secular, free, and democratic government.

 

Nationwide protests in Iran began on 28 December 2025, when merchants and shopkeepers in Tehran and several other cities went on strike and gathered in protest. The collapse of the national currency, soaring prices, structural corruption, and the Islamic Republic’s inability to address the country’s economic crises created the conditions for the protests to spread. Economic grievances quickly developed into political demands and a broader call for an end to the Islamic Republic.

Following Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi’s call for coordinated public demonstrations, the protests reached a historic turning point on 8 and 9 January 2026, corresponding to 18 and 19 Dey 1404 in the Iranian calendar. Reports and published footage indicated widespread participation by millions of Iranians across numerous cities. Demonstrators chanted slogans including “Javid Shah” (“Long Live the Shah”) and “Death to the Dictator,” expressing their opposition to the Islamic Republic and their support for Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi’s role in the process of transition from the current regime.

In response to the uprising, the Islamic Republic carried out one of the bloodiest crackdowns in Iran’s recent history. Security and military forces used lethal weapons against protesters. The exact number of those killed and injured remains unknown because the authorities severely restricted internet access and telephone communications as the crackdown began. The effects of this communications blackout continued for more than a month, obstructing the documentation of violations and preventing families from obtaining information about detained relatives.

Even after the street demonstrations subsided, mass arrests, forced confessions, severe sentences, and executions continued. Many detainees were denied access to independent legal representation and fair judicial proceedings.

Developments between December 2025 and 7 September 2026 demonstrated that Iran’s crisis is not merely economic. The bazaar protests developed into a nationwide movement opposing the Islamic Republic and demanding an end to repression and executions, the release of political prisoners, and a transition to a secular and democratic system of government.