'Finish the job': Students call for Khamenei's end as protest reignite in Iran amid US military strike threat - What's happening
Anti-government protests flared again in Iran as students clashed with counter-groups at universities, chanting against the leadership. The unrest comes amid rising US-Iran tensions and stalled nuclear talks, with anger rooted in economic crisis and past crackdown on protests.
Renewed student protests sweep Iranian universities
Anti-government slogans were heard at several university in Iran as students clashed with counter-protesters on Saturday (Feb 21) in the latest display of anger at the country's clerical leaders, amid threat of US attack. According to local media quoted by AFP, Tehran's top engineering university showed fights breaking out in a crowd as people shouted "bi sharaf", or "disgraceful" in Farsi.
Death to Khamenei", “Finish the job" chanted
Footage posted by the Persian-language TV channel Iran International, also showed a large crowd chanting anti-government slogans at Sharif University of Technology. The Fars news agency later said there were reports of injuries in scuffles at the institution. Demonstrators can be heard chanting slogans such as “Death to Khamenei" and “Finish the job". They also praised the shah and demanded return of monarchy. A video posted by Fars showed a group chanting and waving Iranian flags facing off with a crowd wearing masks and being held back by men in suits.
What new videos show
On Feb 18 as well, videos verified by AFP showed Iranians shouting slogans against Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. These were people who gathered to commemorate protesters killed in a crackdown on nationwide anti-regime demonstrations.
What we know about US-Iran tensions
Iran and US tensions are at its peak with several reports signalling that US President Donald Trump may order a limited strike on Iran amid Tehran's failure to strike a nuclear deal with Washington. The US and Iran resumed Oman-mediated talks on a potential deal, but Washington's demand of a giving up nuclear weapon and uranium enrichment has not been agreed by Iran as of now. The US has simultaneously increased its military presence in the region.
What we know about Iran's protest
Protest in Iran broke out in December 2025 when shopkeepers and traders took to streets over collapsing economy. The protests soon expanded with people demanding end of the clerical regime.The Khamenei led government suppressed the protests in a violent crackdown.The clerical authorities acknowledge more than 3,000 deaths, but say the violence was caused by "terrorist acts" fuelled by Iran's enemies. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) has recorded more than 7,000 killings. Iranian authorities acknowledged the legitimacy of the protesters' economic demands, but accused “archenemies” the United States and Israel of whipping up “riots.”
What's next?
On the order of Trump, the US has sent the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln and the USS Gerald R Ford, to West Asia. The US has also redeployed dozens of other warplanes. "Our military is more powerful than ever before," US President Donald Trump said on Feb 21. during a dinner with state governors at the White House. Trump has suggested that "bad things" will happen if Tehran did not strike a deal, saying Thursday that it had 15 days to agree. The US had hit Iran last year after a failed nuclear diplomacy and 12-days war with Israel. While Iran has said that would be submitting a draft proposal for an agreement soon, Axios reported this week, citing an unnamed senior US official, that Washington was prepared to consider a proposed deal that only permitted “small, token enrichment.” Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also said that US did not ask for zero enrichment. Khamenei has warned of regional war if US strikes Tehran. So, will Trump eventually hit Iran? we will see in a matter of days
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