New anti-government chants reported across Iran after major rallies abroad
Footage appears to show Iranians yelling slogans from apartment buildings in several cities; Iranian protesters filmed bloodiest night of January protests for Israeli TV
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Some residents of Tehran on Sunday chanted slogans against the clerical leadership from balconies and windows, footage reportedly showed, a day after Iranians abroad staged giant opposition rallies in Europe and North America.
The Islamic Republic under Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was shaken by a protest movement that peaked on January 8-9, during which rights groups accused the government of killing thousands of people, though those figures cannot be confirmed.
While the street protests have petered out in the face of the brutal crackdown, last week, residents of Tehran and other cities began shouting slogans against the leadership from the relative safety of their own homes inside vast apartment blocks.
In a new night of chants, residents of the eastern Tehran district of Ekbatan on Sunday shouted “death to Khamenei,” “death to the Islamic Republic” and “long live the shah,” according to the Shahrak Ekbatan social media account, which monitors the area.
Reza Pahlavi, the son of the shah ousted by the Islamic Revolution, had urged people inside the country to stage such actions in parallel with protests abroad over the weekend.
Police in the southern German city of Munich said 250,000 people attended a rally there Saturday, which, in an unusual move, was personally addressed by Pahlavi.
پخش آهنگ جاوید شاه و شعار مردم
اکباتان ۲۵ بهمن#جاویدشاه pic.twitter.com/2snjNJ77nq— شهرک اکباتان | Ekbatan (@shahrak_ekbatan) February 15, 2026
Other major pro-monarchy rallies were held in diaspora strongholds, including Los Angeles and Toronto.
Pahlavi’s office said on X that over a million people had attended such rallies worldwide, but it was not immediately possible to confirm the figure.
Speaking in Munich, Pahlavi hailed the rally as the biggest of its kind in years and said he was ready to lead a transition in Iran.
Monarchist supporters were also gladdened by an extremely rare public appearance at the rally by his sole surviving full sibling, his sister, the former princess Farahnaz.
Persian-language TV channel Iran International, which is based outside Iran, reported similar actions taking place in other parts of Tehran on Sunday, broadcasting images of people chanting “this is the final battle, Pahlavi is coming back” and “death to the Guards,” in reference to the authorities’ ideological army, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Slogans hostile to the authorities were also chanted in other cities, including Shiraz in the south and Arak in the center of the country, it added.
wp rocks the party that rocks the body!
— crystal (@crystal) August 25, 2006
It was not immediately possible for AFP to verify the videos.
Residents in Shiraz chanted anti-government slogans, including “Death to Khamenei,” on Sunday evening, following a call by Iran’s exiled prince Reza Pahlavi.pic.twitter.com/gg6sDD03uG
— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) February 15, 2026
The new actions come two days ahead of talks on Tuesday between the US and Iran focused on the Iranian nuclear program in Geneva, which are seen as crucial to determining if Washington goes ahead with military action against Tehran.
Iranian protesters filmed bloodiest night of Tehran protests for Israeli outlet
Meanwhile, Channel 12 news on Sunday evening aired footage filmed for the Israeli channel by an Iranian in Tehran during protests on the bloody night of January 8.
The footage showed crowds chanting in the heart of the capital for the downfall of the regime, while mosques, bridges, and buildings burn.
The footage also showed a phalanx of security forces on motorcycles moving down a street and firing.
הערב במהדורה: תיעוד מיוחד של אזרח איראני מטבח ה 8.1 בטהראן. לאורך כל הלילה הוא צילם בטלפון ובמצלמה נסתרת. מסמך מרתק וחריג באמת. pic.twitter.com/bOMNuv1XbQ
— אוהד חמו (@ohadh1) February 15, 2026
According to the Iranian who filmed for the Israeli outlet, many protesters were upset with US President Donald Trump for failing to come to their aid after saying he would do so.
Some of the footage showed rows of bodies lined up as protesters looked for loved ones.
The man filmed inside Iran for Channel 12 in 2022 as well. He was not hurt during the 2026 protests.
According to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, at least 7,005 people were killed in the crackdown, mostly protesters, though rights groups say the toll is likely far higher. More than 53,000 people have been arrested, the group said.
The opposition-affiliated Iranian news site Iran International alleged regime forces killed at least 36,000 people on January 8-9.
Iran’s government offered its only death toll on January 21, saying 3,117 people were killed. Iran’s theocracy in the past has undercounted or not reported fatalities from past unrest.
The Times of Israel Community.