Fresh Protests Spread Across Iran as Regime Moves to Higher Security Posture Than Previous War

New demonstrations broke out across Iran late Saturday, with videos circulating online appearing to show renewed anti-regime activity in multiple cities despite a nationwide internet blackout.

Footage shared after nightfall indicated protests in several neighborhoods of Tehran, as well as in other cities including Rasht in northern Iran, Tabriz in the northwest, and Shiraz and Kerman in the south.

One video verified by AFP showed fireworks lighting up the sky above Tehran’s Punak Square, as demonstrators banged pots and pans and chanted slogans in support of the Pahlavi monarchy that was overthrown during the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The scope of the unrest remains difficult to determine, as Iranian authorities have imposed a countrywide internet shutdown that has sharply limited access to real-time information.

As protests continued, Iran’s leadership reportedly shifted the country into an emergency security stance. According to a report by The Telegraph, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ordered the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to take command of efforts to suppress nationwide demonstrations, raising the force’s alert level to its highest state — exceeding levels seen during previous major military operations.

Iranian officials told the outlet that underground missile facilities were also placed on high alert, while security forces and strategic assets were repositioned across the country amid concerns of further escalation.

Officials described the regime’s posture as being in “survival mode,” saying Khamenei has no intention of leaving Iran and is instead relying almost exclusively on the IRGC, which he reportedly views as the institution least likely to defect even under intense internal pressure.