Iran’s government responded to renewed student protests on university campuses by emphasising that while students have a right to demonstrate, they must respect “red lines” such as the national flag and sacred symbols, in its first official statement since rallies began over the weekend.
A government spokeswoman, Fatemeh Mohajerani, told state media on Tuesday that student anger was “understandable” given recent events, but insisted that participants must “understand the red lines” and refrain from actions perceived as attacks on national sanctities. “Sacred things and the flag are two examples of these red lines … even at the height of anger,” she said.
The statement came amid a fresh wave of campus protests that coincided with the start of the new academic semester. Students held both pro- and anti-government rallies at major universities in Tehran, including at Alzahra University, where footage verified by international news agencies showed gatherings of demonstrators chanting slogans.
The protests form part of a broader resurgence of unrest in Iran that began in late 2025 and peaked in early January, when nationwide demonstrations erupted over economic conditions and political grievances. Those protests, which quickly spread from bazaars and city streets to university campuses across the country, were met with a harsh government crackdown that rights groups say resulted in thousands of deaths. Iranian authorities acknowledge several thousand fatalities but blame “terrorist acts”, while independent groups report much higher figures.
Security forces have increasingly taken measures to suppress dissent. Some protesting students have already been suspended from their institutions, and Iran’s prosecutor-general’s office has reportedly assumed oversight of related legal cases, according to observers.
The renewed campus demonstrations occur against the backdrop of heightened tensions between Iran and the United States, including ongoing nuclear negotiations in Geneva and increased US military activity in the region.
Iran’s government has also announced an official fact-finding mission to investigate the protests’ causes and circumstances. Officials say the inquiry will examine what precipitated the unrest and how it unfolded.