On Monday, July 26, hundreds of residents of Tehran flooded onto the streets, protesting constant power outages. However, the slogans immediately turned into anti-establishment ones, including, “Cannons, tanks, and firecrackers, the mullahs must get lost,” “Death to the dictator,” and “Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, my life for Iran.”

Protesters also stepped further and expressed their hatred against the entire ruling system by chanting against Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. “Khamenei, shame on you, let go of the state” and “Death to Khamenei” were chanted by fed-up people.

Merchants in Alaeddin Mall initially stopped working and came onto the streets, venting their anger over the government’s mismanagement in the energy sector. For hours, protesters remain in the streets and chanted anti-establishment slogans in broad daylight, which is a turning point in protests.

The protests in Tehran took place on the twelfth day of protests in Khuzestan. Tehrani residents also declared their solidarity with the protesters in different cities of Khuzestan. “Tehran, Khuzestan, unity, unity,” chanted Tehrani protesters.

Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), praised the protesters for standing up to the regime despite the mullahs’ repressive measures. “The young protesters in Tehran display the Iranian people’s firm resolve to establish democracy and national sovereignty,” she tweeted.

According to local reports, the government had faced a shortage of anti-riot forces to quell protests. Regarding the protests in Khuzestan, authorities had dispatched many forces and equipment to the southwestern provinces, including Khuzestan, Chaharmahal & Bakhtiari, and Bushehr.

In this respect, the government initially avoided using lethal force against protesters. On the other hand, the protests were taken place in broad daylight, which was considered another barrier for cruel suppression due to potential international reactions and reports provided by mainstream media. Particularly, many people have been filming and protests and posting it on social media.

The protests in Tehran practically showed the Islamic Republic’s weakness despite officials’ baseless claims about the state’s stability. During the past 30 days, the judiciary implemented at least 44 death penalties to create an atmosphere of fear. Activists believe that the government had intensified oppressive measures in fear of sparking another round of protests.

However, recent protests in Khuzestan, Alborz, Isfahan, Bushehr, Tehran, and other provinces were rendered as an obvious failure for the ayatollahs’ oppressive and intelligence apparatuses.

Furthermore, the continuation and the expansion of demonstrations and anti-establishment activities display a public desire for fundamental changes. The social movements might ignite ordinary difficulties; however, they rapidly turn into political movements against the current ruling system.

In this respect, the government in Iran faces a volcanic situation. On the one hand, it cannot solve the people’s grievances and ease public crises. On the other hand, brutal responses to people’s demands no longer disappoint citizens. In such circumstances, the ayatollahs face a growing rate of protests and anti-establishment activities across the country.