Day after day, since late December, protests in Iran have been spreading and building momentum, fuelled by deep-seated economic and political frustration. The last major protests in Iran were sparked, in 2022, by the death in custody of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, who was accused of not wearing the compulsory hijab properly. New to these latest protests, however, is the chant: "Pahlavi will return," a reference to Reza Pahlavi, the son of the late Shah of Iran who was overthrown in 1979. "Personally I think he's the only way out of this," 26-year old Sara from Tehran told the BBC. But to be honest my personal opinion is not important now," 27-year old Maryam from Tehran told the BBC.

Source: The Star January 11, 2026 08:45 UTC