Iran to mobilize millions of students for weekly anti-US rallies

TEHRAN

Demonstrators carry rifles as they stand during the state-organized ‘Janfada,’ or ‘Sacrifice for Iran,’ military-style parade in Tehran, Iran. (AP Photo)

Iran’s Education Ministry has instructed schools across the country to organize weekly rallies against the United States and Israel, with millions of students expected to take part in gatherings scheduled for Wednesday evenings, according to state media.

The demonstrations are part of Iran’s annual Week Against Arrogance, which culminates on Nov. 4, officially designated as the National Day of Fighting Global Arrogance.

The commemoration marks the 1979 seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran by supporters of the Islamic Revolution, as well as the 1964 exile of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic.

Education Minister Alireza Kazemi said directives had been issued to schools nationwide to hold student gatherings “every Wednesday evening in city squares and streets,” the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported this week.

Kazemi said Wednesday was selected because it falls toward the end of the school week, allowing more students to participate.

He added that responsibilities had been distributed among student organizations to ensure the rallies were coordinated nationwide.

More than 16.5 million students are enrolled in over 124,000 schools across Iran during the 2026-2027 academic year, including more than nine million primary school pupils, according to Tasnim News Agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The program also features a nationwide march, cultural and educational events at schools, and the ringing of an “Anti-Arrogance Bell” across more than 124,000 schools ahead of the Nov. 4 anniversary.

Kazemi described the commemoration and the Week Against Arrogance as an important educational opportunity to introduce students and future generations to what he called “global arrogance and the Israeli regime.”

Referring to the 12-day war as a series of “complex enemy plots” and describing the 40-day conflict as the “Ramadan War,” the minister said this year’s developments and what he characterized as the Iranian people’s resistance had heightened the education system’s responsibilities during the commemorative week.

On Nov. 4, 1979, Iranian students seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, demanding that Washington return Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Iran’s deposed shah, who had been admitted to the United States for medical treatment.

The seizure triggered a 444-day hostage crisis, during which 52 Americans were held captive until their release on Jan. 20, 1981. The incident became a major turning point in relations between Washington and Iran’s newly established Islamic Republic.