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Sanandaj, Kurdistan – Family and supporters visit the grave of Omid Hassani during Nowruz, honoring his legacy and renewing their vow for justice and freedom, March 20, 2025
A fresh wave of anti-regime protests erupted across Iran this week, as citizens from various cities voiced outrage over systemic land confiscation, political executions, and deepening socioeconomic injustice under the clerical dictatorship.
On Saturday, March 22, residents of Dargahan in Hormozgan Province, southern Iran, held a large demonstration against the handover of the city’s historic port to regime-affiliated interests under the pretense of privatization. Forming a 700-meter-long human chain along the coastline, protesters condemned the sale of the land for 700 billion tomans, accusing authorities of diverting the funds away from the local population and using them instead for road and airport projects serving regime elites. “They’ve sold our mountains and now our port—enough is enough,” said one protester.
On March 20 and 21, citizens across Iran also commemorated the martyrs of recent uprisings. Graves of protesters such as Omid Hassani in Sanandaj, Sepahr Azami in Karaj, Amir Moweydi and Bahman Jafari in Shiraz, Maryam Arvin in Kerman, and dozens more in Eslamshahr, Eizeh, Jolfā, and other cities were visited. In Karaj, families and supporters stood before the grave of Mohammad Mehdi Karami, a young man executed after the 2022 protests, vowing justice.
In the cemetery of Sanandaj, western Iran, mourners gathered at the grave of Omid Hassani, calling him a symbol of courage and pledging to keep his memory alive until freedom is achieved. In Rudsar, northern Iran, visitors honored Behnam Layaghpoor and Pouya Ahmadpour, with calls for justice echoing through the cemetery: “We will not forget. We will take our revenge.” In Qaemshahr, at the grave of Rahim Kalij, supporters raised their voices for justice and accountability.
Two days earlier, on Thursday, March 20, the final day of the Iranian calendar year, regime border forces opened fire on Kurdish laborers near the city of Baneh in the western Kurdistan Province, killing a kulbar (cross-border porter) in cold blood. The killing reignited anger in the Kurdish community, where such deadly shootings are a recurring consequence of the regime’s militarized border policies.
On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, ahead of the New Year and marking the 60th week of the "No to Execution Tuesdays" campaign, a group of labor activists and former prisoners gathered in front of Lakan Prison in Rasht. They set up a Haft-Sin table and held photos of political prisoners… pic.twitter.com/h9ogwTfBYr
— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) March 20, 2025
That same day, nationwide Nowruz commemorations turned into protests across multiple cities. In Mashhad, Neyshabur, Shiraz, Pasargad, and Persepolis, thousands of Iranians gathered at cultural landmarks. In Neyshabur, citizens gathered at the Tomb of Omar Khayyam in celebration. In Shiraz, people gathered at Hafeziyeh to sing patriotic songs like “Ey Iran” and rejected a state-backed cleric’s attempt to lead mourning chants, forcing him to retreat.
On March 20, as Nowruz was celebrated across Iran, citizens in Arak and Babol held commemorations for protest martyrs Mehrshad Shahidi and Abolfazl Mehdipour, both killed during the 2022 uprising. The tributes were part of annual gatherings on the last Thursday of the year to honor those who died for the cause of freedom.
Also on March 20, mourners across Iran marked Nowruz by visiting the graves of the martyrs of the 1980s and recent uprisings, in a nationwide tribute that turned into acts of defiance against the clerical regime. In Tabriz, citizens laid flowers on the graves of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK) members killed during the 1981–1988 period, vowing, “We swear on the blood of our comrades to stand until the end. We will neither forgive nor forget.” In Ilam and Rasht, similar ceremonies took place.
From March 1951 to March 2025, the spirit of Mossadegh’s struggle lives on https://t.co/yT2xyrk3UG
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 20, 2025
In Tehran, mourners visited the graves of MEK martyrs and read a statement from Massoud and Maryam Rajavi, declaring, “We will not rest until we avenge the blood of our comrades. We will neither forgive nor forget.” In Semnan, members of the Resistance Units vowed to carry the fallen’s banner until the clerical dictatorship is overthrown, chanting “Death to Khamenei, hail to Rajavi.” In Khorramabad, western Iran, visitors condemned the regime for removing the gravestones of slain MEK members and pledged loyalty to their cause.
From Juybar to Gorgan, Mashhad to Yazd, the graves of MEK martyrs were decorated with flowers and marked by solemn pledges to continue the path of resistance. In Kermanshah, mourners recalled the destroyed graves of fallen MEK members and vowed, “You live in our hearts. Your path will be continued.” Similar vows were made in Yazd, with greetings for Nowruz sent from the Resistance’s leadership.
Also on March 19, protests and strikes erupted in Ahvaz, Isfahan, and Tabriz. In Ahvaz, retired oil industry workers rallied against unpaid pensions. Farmers in Isfahan marched with the slogan “Zayandeh Rood is our right,” demanding their share of water resources. Hospital staff at Imam Reza Hospital in Tabriz staged a walkout over unpaid wages and unsafe working conditions, reflecting growing unrest in Iran’s strained healthcare system.
The same day, regime forces reported the death of police officer Sergeant Mehran Piri during Chaharshanbeh Suri in southern Tehran. The incident occurred amid a heavy security crackdown on fire festival celebrations nationwide. While the regime framed the incident as an encounter with “suspicious elements,” it came against the backdrop of widespread public resistance to security forces deployed to suppress the ancient Iranian tradition.
March 18—Qazvin, northern Iran
People celebrate the Fire Festival (Charshanbe Suri) despite security measures by the regime.#IranProtests #چهارشنبه_سوری pic.twitter.com/wBeuK6JWNu
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 18, 2025
On Wednesday, March 19, a symbolic protest took place outside Lakan Prison in Rasht, Gilan Province, northern Iran. Families of political prisoners, along with labor activists and former detainees, marked the 60th week of the “Tuesdays Against Executions” campaign by setting up a traditional Haft-Sin table and holding up photographs of 12 death row prisoners, including Manouchehr Fallah, Sharifeh Mohammadi, Pooya Ghobadi, and others. Protesters demanded the immediate cancellation of the politically motivated death sentences and warned that the prisoners’ lives were in imminent danger.
Iran enters the new year amid growing unrest and nationwide mobilization. From the Persian Gulf coast to the Kurdish borderlands, and from cultural heritage sites to prison gates, Iranians continue to confront the clerical regime’s repression and injustice through persistent protest and acts of civil resistance.