Iran Protests: From 1979 Islamic Revolution to the current rial crisis, a look at Iran’s long history of street protests

Iran cut off internet access and international telephone calls on Thursday night as protests spread across cities and small towns. Demonstrators responded to a call by the country’s exiled crown prince, shouting slogans from windows and pouring into streets after dark. Markets and bazaars shut in several places in support of the protests. At least 42 people have died and more than 2,270 have been detained so far, according to the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency.

The latest unrest adds another chapter to Iran’s long history of street protests. Over the past five decades, demonstrations have repeatedly flared up over politics, prices, elections, and personal freedoms. Some reshaped the country. Others were crushed. Here is a brief look at the major protest movements and what set them off.

1979 Islamic Revolution
Protests in the late 1970s brought together students, oil workers, and ordinary citizens demanding political freedoms. The pressure mounted on Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was seriously ill and ruled as an autocrat. He eventually fled the country.

In February 1979, the revolution succeeded under Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who set up a hard-line Shiite theocracy with himself at the top. The new state executed thousands of people. The Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s and strict crackdowns silenced mass protests for years.

1999 student protests

Anger boiled over in 1999 after the killing of activists and intellectuals linked to the so-called “chain murders.” Students at Tehran University launched protests.

A security force raid on the campus triggered wider demonstrations. At least three people were killed and around 1,200 were detained during the unrest.

2009 Green Movement protests
In 2009, Iran’s reformist opposition rejected the reelection of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, saying the vote was rigged. Millions took to the streets in protests that became known as the “Green Movement.”

Security forces responded with force. Dozens of people were killed and thousands were arrested over several months.

2017–2018 demonstrations
Economic anger sparked the protests of 2017 and 2018. Rising food prices and plans to cut cash handouts for poorer Iranians pushed people onto the streets.

The demonstrations began in Mashhad and quickly spread. More than 20 people died and hundreds were arrested.

2019 gasoline protests
In 2019, the government announced a sharp rise in subsidized gasoline prices. Protests erupted almost immediately. Gas stations, banks, and stores were set on fire in several areas.

More than 300 people were reportedly killed. Authorities shut down the country’s internet to contain the unrest.

2022 Mahsa Amini protests
Protests erupted again in September 2022 after the death of Mahsa Amini, 22. She died after being arrested by Iran’s morality police for allegedly not wearing her hijab according to official rules.

United Nations investigators later found Iran responsible for the “physical violence” that led to her death. A months-long crackdown followed. More than 500 people were killed and over 22,000 were detained. Even so, many women still refuse to wear the hijab.

2025–26 rial protests
The current protests come amid economic strain and regional conflict. Sanctions tightened, and Iran struggled after a 12-day war with Israel. The Iranian rial collapsed, hitting 1.4 million to $1.

Protests broke out soon after. On Thursday night, as demonstrators followed calls for nighttime rallies, authorities again shut down internet and telephone networks to the outside world, repeating a familiar response to a familiar scene.