Protests Erupt in Iran Amid Strikes; Resistance Groups Rally Internationally
By Juba Global News Network | JubaGlobal.com
February 28, 2026
As U.S. and Israeli airstrikes continued to pound military and regime-linked targets across Iran for a second day, scattered but increasingly visible protests broke out in several Iranian cities Saturday, marking the first significant public demonstrations since the military campaign began. The unrest—combined with large solidarity rallies by Iranian exile and opposition communities in Geneva, London, Paris, Los Angeles, and Toronto—has injected a volatile domestic political dimension into what had so far been portrayed primarily as a military confrontation.
Eyewitness accounts and citizen videos smuggled out via VPNs and encrypted messaging apps showed small crowds gathering in Tehran’s Enghelab Square, Shiraz’s Vakil Bazaar area, Isfahan near Naqsh-e Jahan Square, and Tabriz’s historic bazaar. Demonstrators—many of them young women and university students—chanted variations of “Death to the Dictator,” “Woman, Life, Freedom,” and “Mullahs must go—now is the time.” In several locations, protesters waved pre-1979 Iranian flags (the lion-and-sun emblem) and held signs reading “Thank you Trump” and “Regime change is our only chance,” direct echoes of President Donald Trump’s overnight video address urging Iranians to “take over your government.”
Security forces responded swiftly and harshly. Riot police and Basij paramilitaries deployed tear gas, batons, and in at least two confirmed cases, live ammunition. Amateur footage from Tehran showed plainclothes agents dragging away several protesters, while state television broadcast images of “foreign-backed rioters” being arrested. Iran’s Interior Ministry claimed the demonstrations were “limited to a few dozen troublemakers manipulated by Zionist and American agents” and reported 47 arrests nationwide by late afternoon local time. Independent human-rights monitors, however, estimated the number of detainees could be several times higher, with reports of injuries and at least one confirmed death—a 24-year-old man shot in Shiraz, according to the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights group.
The protests appeared to gain modest momentum after Trump’s explicit regime-change appeal went viral on banned platforms such as Instagram, Telegram, and Signal despite heavy internet throttling. Clips of the president’s words were dubbed into Persian and shared in private groups, with many users adding captions such as “He’s right—this is our moment” and “No more fear.” Analysts noted that while the scale of Saturday’s demonstrations remained far smaller than the 2009 Green Movement or the 2022 nationwide uprising following Mahsa Amini’s death, the explicit linkage to foreign military action represented a new and dangerous variable for the Islamic Republic.
Abroad, Iranian diaspora communities seized the moment to organize some of the largest solidarity rallies seen in years. In Geneva, more than 3,000 people gathered outside the United Nations European headquarters, waving Iranian pre-revolutionary flags and chanting “Free Iran” while displaying banners that read “Support the Iranian people—end the terrorist regime.” Similar scenes unfolded in London’s Trafalgar Square (estimated 4,500 attendees), Los Angeles’ Pershing Square (over 6,000), and Toronto’s Nathan Phillips Square. Monarchist groups, secular democrats, Kurdish and Baluchi activists, and supporters of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) marched together—an unusual display of unity—demanding international recognition of the protesters inside Iran and tougher sanctions on the IRGC.
Several prominent exiled figures addressed the crowds. Reza Pahlavi, son of the last Shah, told the Geneva rally via video link: “The people of Iran are ready. The regime is weaker than ever. This is not about foreign intervention; it is about Iranians reclaiming their country.” Masih Alinejad, the exiled journalist and women’s rights activist, spoke in New York, urging the international community to “amplify the voices of those risking their lives right now instead of negotiating with their jailers.”
Inside Iran, the clerical establishment moved quickly to frame the protests as treasonous collusion with the enemy. State media broadcast confessions from arrested demonstrators (widely believed to be coerced) and ran segments accusing the United States and Israel of “engineering chaos to cover their war crimes.” Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose whereabouts remained unconfirmed after reports he had been moved to a secure bunker, issued a written message read on state television calling for “unity against the invaders and their domestic mercenaries.”
The intersection of external bombardment and internal dissent has created a high-stakes dilemma for the regime. Heavy-handed suppression risks inflaming public anger at a moment when military resources are stretched thin defending against further airstrikes. A lighter touch, however, could embolden larger crowds and encourage defections within the security apparatus—precisely the scenario Trump appeared to be betting on in his address.
International human-rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, called on all parties to protect civilian lives and urged the United Nations to establish an emergency monitoring mechanism inside Iran. Western governments have so far limited their public comments to expressions of concern over civilian casualties from the strikes, while privately some officials acknowledge that visible domestic unrest could alter the strategic calculus of the ongoing operation.
Whether Saturday’s protests represent the first sparks of a broader uprising or are quickly smothered remains uncertain. But one fact is already clear: the military campaign against Iran has opened a second front—inside the country itself—and the Iranian people are beginning to make their voices heard amid the smoke and sirens.
Juba Global News Network will continue to track developments inside Iran and among diaspora communities. Verified citizen reports and live updates available at JubaGlobal.com.
By: Juba Global News Network | JubaGlobal.com
