Iran’s universities have long been a battleground, where protests happen and students fight for the future

Iranian universities have long been places of reform and political imagination – as well as targets of censorship and repression.

By: Pardis Mahdavi, University of La Verne; University of California, Berkeley, The Conversation

Outlets: The Conversation

Published: January 20, 2026

Words: 1,173

Last Updated: 1 month, 3 weeks ago

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By Pardis Mahdavi, University of La Verne; University of California, Berkeley

Iran’s current wave of protests continues to spread across the country, as the United States weighs military intervention. Meanwhile, many Iranian people continue to struggle to pay for basic necessities amid a collapsing currency.

The anti-government demonstrations began in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world, in December 2025. From there, they quickly …

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