Tehran residents raise slogans against Khamenei ahead of Islamic Revolution anniversary

Tehran protests persist despite government crackdown

Residents of Tehran took to their balconies to chant slogans against the Islamic republic and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on the eve of the annual commemoration of the 1979 Islamic revolution, according to footage shared on social media.

Iran had experienced widespread protests last month against the Islamic republic, which activists condemned as being crushed by an unprecedented security crackdown, leaving thousands dead.

After a relatively quiet fortnight due to the crackdown, residents again voiced dissent on Tuesday, chanting slogans such as "death to Khamenei", "death to the dictator" and "death to Islamic republic", according to videos posted by prominent protest monitoring channels on Telegram and X, including Vahid Online and Mamlekate.

It was not immediately possible for AFP to verify the videos.

The chants came as authorities set off fireworks to mark the eve of Wednesday's date of Bahman 22, which celebrates the anniversary of the resignation of the ousted shah's last prime minister and the formal assumption of power by revolutionary leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

The Persian calendar date of Bahman 22 is traditionally marked by nationwide marches in support of the clerical system, which are set to take on even greater importance this year in the face of the threat of new American military intervention against Tehran.

Vahid Online posted one video taken from the top floor of a residential area of loud anti-government chants echoing around the buildings. Mamlekate also posted videos, apparently shot in the hilly parts of northern Tehran, with the chants resounding around the area.

The social media channel Sharak Ekbatan, which follows the Tehran residential district of Ekbatan, said the authorities had sent in security forces to shout "God is greatest" after residents started chanting slogans against the government.

According to Iranian news site IranWire, there were similar reports of chants in cities including the central city of Isfahan and Shiraz in the south.

According to the US-based group Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), 6,984 people, including 6,490 protesters, were killed during the protests as authorities used live fire against demonstrators.

Meanwhile, at least 52,623 people have been arrested in the ensuing crackdown, it added.

The chanting of the slogans late Tuesday marked a "continuation of the nationwide protests despite the prevailing security atmosphere and widespread control measures", the HRANA said.

(With AFP inputs)