Iran says students must respect 'red lines' after protests

TEHRAN

An Iranian woman walks past a shop selling traditional Persian sweets called samanu in northern Tehran on Feb. 23, 2026. AFP

Students have a right to protest but must "understand the red lines", Iran's government spokeswoman said yesterday, in the first official reaction to renewed anti-government rallies on campuses.

University students kicked off a new semester with gatherings over the weekend in which they revived slogans from nationwide protests against the country's clerical leadership that peaked in January and were met by a deadly crackdown.

On Feb. 23, the third consecutive day of the campus protests, videos geolocated by AFP showed students at a university in Tehran burning the Iranian flag adopted by the Islamic republic after the 1979 revolution that toppled the monarchy.

"Sacred things and the flag are two examples of these red lines that we must protect and not cross or deviate from, even at the height of anger," government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said yesterday.

She added that Iran's students "have wounds in their hearts and have seen scenes that may upset and anger them; this anger is understandable.”

The initial wave of protests began in December 2025, sparked by economic woes in the sanctions-hit country, but soon grew into nationwide demonstrations that crested on Jan. 8 and 9, posing one of the largest challenges to Iran's leaders in years.

The unrest prompted a violent government crackdown that killed thousands of people.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has recorded more than 7,000 deaths, while warning the full toll is likely far higher.

Iranian officials acknowledge more than 3,000 deaths, but say the violence was caused by "terrorist acts" fueled by the U.S. and Israel.

The crackdown in January prompted U.S. President Donald Trump to threaten to intervene militarily on the protesters' behalf, though the focus of his threats soon shifted to Iran's contentious nuclear program.

Since then, the U.S. has carried out a massive military build-up in the Middle East aimed at pressuring Tehran into cutting a deal, even as the two sides pursue indirect negotiations, set to resume tomorrow in Geneva.

Iran insists its nuclear program is for civilian use, but the West believes it is aimed at building an atomic bomb.

Iran has vowed to retaliate "ferociously" against any attack from the United States, even a limited one, which Trump has publicly acknowledged he is considering.

Trump on Feb. 23 denied U.S. media reports that the country's top military officer, General Dan Caine, had flagged the risks of a major operation against Iran, pointing to munitions shortages and the potential for lengthy entanglement, among others.