Iranian Protest Global pressure mounts as protests break out in Iran, sparked by the value of the Iranian rial dropping to 1.42 million rials per $1 US by Dec. 2025. This is a significant devaluation of nearly 45% throughout the year. With the decline, many Iranian citizens cannot afford essential household items. As protests intensified, demonstrations became deadly.
Around Fresno City College campus, many were unaware of the magnitude of these demonstrations.
Overview of Protests
The initial protests originated in Iran’s capital of Tehran on Dec. 28, 2025. Merchants and shopkeepers congregated in bazaars to voice their disapproval. As the protests continued they grew to unprecedented size. Within a week, demonstrations appeared all over Iranian cities, rural and urban, flooding the streets as citizens demanded a regime change. According to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), Iran’s rial has declined in value by more than 90% since 2018, pushing once middle class families to poverty.
At the start of these demonstrations Iranian authorities were sympathetic to their population with the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian publicly acknowledging the hardships Iranian citizens endured. However, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shifted all the blame of economic hardship onto the country’s enemies.
Sanctions placed by the United States and United Nations do play a large role with the rapid inflation. Iran’s government can’t agree on deals with countries that would help dilute these sanctions.
Nationwide Blackout
The Iranian government turned to using military force against the protesters, causing the revolution to be put on a halt according to the New York Times. A nationwide blackout caused by Iranian authorities blocked all internet access to the Iranian population. Blocking access to the outside world.
The blackout was the longest in the country’s history, counting over 400 hours.
The last time Iran used a nationwide blackout was during the country’s 12-day war with Israel in June, 2025. This war with Israel and the US devastated many of Iran’s nuclear facilities and killed many top officials according to AP News.
The United States could strike Iran currently, however a deal is still trying to be made. US forces were quickly stationed in the Middle East waiting for a signal and Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu could join in the attack according to the NY Times.
Aftermath of blackout
When videos started surfacing after the blackout on Jan. 11, it was clear heavy military force was used. Videos started to emerge showing the aftermath of the government crackdown. Footage obtained by the NY Times shows families standing outside of a Morgue in Tehran identifying loved ones in body bags.
Casualties go from 3,000, according to the Iranian government, to over 32,000 reported by President Donald Trump on Feb. 20. Because of the internet blackout and Iran’s lack of transparency, it’s hard to estimate how many lives were lost.
According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a group that focuses on reporting repressions in Iran, over 7,015 have been confirmed dead and over 17,000 deaths are under investigation.
The Iranian streets have been recently filled with small scale student protests at Iranian colleges according to the BBC.
The protests in Iran have led to mass shootings and civilians being held hostage in their homes by security forces, according to the New York Post.
While many students failed to recognize the grievances, FCC student Frank Orozco gave his perspective on the demonstrations said, ”It’s a terrible thing…all I can think to myself is how lucky I am to be where I am.”
FCC currently has no club or program specifically for Middle Eastern students.
