Fourth Day of Iran Protests; Students Chant Against Khamenei and IRGC

During a new wave of popular protests in Iran, which began following the downing of a civilian airliner by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), students gathered at several universities in Tehran and chanted slogans against the leader of the Islamic Republic and the IRGC.

In videos and reports received by Voice of America, government forces can be seen attempting to position themselves with equipment and personnel against the protesting students; however, they have faced strong resistance from the students.

As in previous days, protests against Ali Khamenei, the IRGC, and the Basij forces are very widespread, with chants such as “We didn’t lose anyone to make peace, to praise the killer leader,” “We are children of war, we will fight until we fight,” and “We will die, we will die, we will take back Iran” being among the most prominent slogans raised.

On the morning of Wednesday, the 18th of Dey, a Ukrainian Boeing 737 crashed several minutes after takeoff from Imam Khomeini Airport bound for Kyiv in the vicinity of the new city of Parand in Tehran Province with 176 passengers on board.

The Islamic Republic of Iran on Saturday, the 21st of Dey, and after several days of denial, finally admitted under international pressure that the downing of the civilian airliner was caused by an “unintentional” missile strike by the IRGC.

One day before that, on Thursday the 19th of Dey, US President Donald Trump, calling the crash of the Ukrainian airliner in Iran a “tragedy,” had said: “I have doubts and suspicions as well. It is a very painful event. There has been doubt expressed about this crash. Perhaps someone made a mistake there.”

Hours after the Islamic Republic’s admission to downing the civilian airliner, a new wave of protests began in various cities across Iran.

Following these protests, President Trump and US officials, while warning the Iranian regime, called for the non-suppression of protesters.

Source: Voice of America