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The Jerusalem Post's News editor, Alex Winston, sits down with Senior Research Analyst Khosro Isfahani from the National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI) to unpack the first 12 days of protests in Iran, the regime's response, and what might happen after Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi's calls for united protests on Iran's streets.
Isfahani said demonstrations have spread “from north to south, from east to west,” with participants chanting in support of exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi and facing arrests and live fire from security forces.
Isfahani, who was born and raised in Iran and now serves as a senior research analyst with the Washington-based NGO, said the movement’s focus has shifted from economic grievances to a clear demand for a secular democracy. He added that activists are preparing for coordinated evening actions after Pahlavi urged Iranians to take to the streets at 8 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has characterized demonstrators as “rioters,” a language Isfahani said typically precedes escalated crackdowns. He described the regime’s response as both ideological and calculated, recalling past episodes when authorities cut the internet and ordered force to restore control.
The analyst argued that the Islamic Republic frames its project as delivering “justice on earth,” a vision that has fueled conflict beyond Iran’s borders while costing thousands of lives at home during previous protest waves. “This man has walked through a sea of blood,” Isfahani said, referring to Khamenei.
Demonstrations near two-week mark
The demonstrations, which began in Tehran last month, have spread to all of Iran's 31 provinces but have yet to reach the scale of the 2022-3 unrest sparked by the death of Mahsa Amini while in detention for allegedly violating Islamic dress codes.
Starting in Tehran with shopkeepers in the Grand Bazaar angered by a sharp slide in the rial currency, the latest protests now involve others - mainly young men rather than the women and girls who played a key role at the Amini protests.
The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), has reported at least 34 protesters and four security personnel killed, and 2,200 arrested during the unrest, which analysts say highlights a deeper disillusionment with the Shi'ite status quo.
Reuters contributed to this report.