A quarter century in revolt: Iran’s wave of uprisings, from Bloody November to Mahsa Amini

A common thread runs across the protests in Iran—economic distress and continued dissatisfaction with the clerical regime from various corners of the Iranian populace.

Graphic by Shruti Naithani | ThePrint

New Delhi: Sparked by a severe economic crisis, the protests in Iran, which began on 28 December last year, have now transformed into a broad movement. The Iranian regime, led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has subsequently cracked down on the protests, leaving 2,000 dead and thousands injured.

Iran has witnessed significant protests throughout the 21st century, driven by growing dissatisfaction with the clerical regime and economic distress under American sanctions.

The modern Islamic Republic’s challenges trace back to its foundation after the 1979 Revolution that ousted the Shah, whose autocratic rule had followed the overthrow of Mohammad Mossadegh’s elected government in a 1953 CIA-backed coup.

The current protests come in the backdrop of Iran’s spiralling annual inflation of above 40 percent, which could be attributed to intensified US sanctions from 2018, when the first Trump administration abandoned the nuclear deal with Iran and reimposed “maximum pressure”.

It’s Trump 2.0 now, and the Iranian Rial has hit historic lows against major currencies like the Euro, with its value showing up as “0.00” in some digital converters.

In this report, ThePrint looks at the major protests that have shaken the Iranian establishment over the past quarter-century and the thread that connects them.

Mahsa Amini Protests (2022-2023)

Rising orthodoxy and moral policing, which led to 22-year-old Mahsa Amini’s death on the heels of her arrest for “improperly” wearing the veil, triggered massive protests in late 2022, going on to extend into 2023. The movement witnessed thousands of women protesting the veil under the slogan of ‘Jin, Jiyan, Azadî’, translating to ‘Women, Life, Freedom’. During the movement, 550 people were killed, and 20,000 were detained, a United Nations international fact-finding mission on Iran reported in March 2024.

Bloody November Protests (2019-20)

Discontent already simmering, the primary catalyst for the 2019-20 protests was the sudden spike in fuel prices, announced by the Iranian establishment on 15 November. Economic grievances transcended into political furore, spilling onto the streets, and slogans such as ‘Death to the Dictator’ were raised. As the movement spread to different cities, State violence left over 320 protesters dead, while over 7,000 were detained, according to news reports.

Economic Protests (2017-2018)

Before the 2025-26 protests came the 2017-18 economic protests, which took root in the city of Mashhad in northeastern Iran over high prices and unemployment, later reportedly spreading to more than 140 cities. Protesters notably chanted slogans against Iranian involvement in regional conflicts—for instance, ‘Not Gaza, not Lebanon, my life for Iran’. At the time, 3,700 demonstrators faced arrest while 21 died in the regime’s crackdown. The same slogan has come up in the ongoing protests, reflecting the continuance of quotidian issues for ordinary Iranians.

Green Movement (2009)

One of the fiercest rebellions against the establishment since 1979 was the Green Movement in 2009. Civil unrest against alleged fraud in the presidential elections that re-elected Mahmoud Ahmadinejad led to massive social and political unrest. It culminated in one of the largest peaceful uprisings in Iranian history, as millions took to the streets in Tehran and around the country. The protesters, at the time, adopted the green colour—the campaign colour of reformist candidate Mir-Hossein Mousavi, who fought the election against Ahmadinejad. The movement’s central rallying cry was “Where is my vote?” Human rights organisations estimate that more than 100 people were killed, and more than 5,000 detained during the protests.

Student Protests (1999-2003)

Building on the momentum of the 1999 student protests, youth activists and protesters continued to demonstrate for political freedoms into late 2003. The trigger in 1999 was the death sentence handed down to Hashem Aghajari, a history professor and reformist academic convicted of blasphemy. The student demonstrators shouted, ‘Down with Dictatorship’, calling for a popular referendum on political reforms.

(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)