Iranian Universities Tighten Grip on Student Dissent Amid Ongoing Tensions

Iranian university students are facing heightened scrutiny and disciplinary action as authorities seek to suppress campus dissent following the recent war with the United States and the crushing of massive demonstrations in January. A social sciences student who participated in an anti-government protest described being summoned to an intimidating disciplinary hearing. The panel included a cleric representing the supreme leader and an official who declined to identify himself. During the questioning, the panel asked the student what he felt when former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in airstrikes on February 28.

According to Iranian student unions and rights monitors, scores of students across the country are undergoing similar procedures. This campaign to silence dissent coincides with a worsening economic crisis caused by the war and a months-long US naval blockade. With both Iranian leaders and US President Donald Trump threatening a return to escalated fighting, many students fear that the pressure on them will only intensify in the coming months.

The Associated Press spoke by phone and messaging apps with several student protesters who are currently facing disciplinary procedures. All spoke on condition of anonymity due to fears of retribution. Students brought before these panels risk expulsion or a ban from further study at any university. The consequences often extend beyond the campus, with some students reporting job losses, death threats, and other forms of harassment once the details of their cases become public. One social sciences student described the situation as placing extraordinary psychological pressure on individuals, calling the experience unspeakable.

These disciplinary measures follow a wave of college protests that emerged in parallel with the nationwide demonstrations that began in late December. Those protests were triggered by a currency crash and quickly grew into the largest nationwide uprising since the 1979 revolution. Security forces responded by opening fire, killing thousands and arresting many more. Even after the main wave of protests was crushed, smaller campus demonstrations persisted until the eve of the February 28 US-Israeli strikes that triggered the war. In February, Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, Iran’s hardline judiciary chief, stated that judicial authorities would step in to prosecute campus crimes if educational authorities failed to control them.

Although heavy US and Israeli bombardment put university measures on hold for several weeks, students have been called into hearings since the summer. As universities reopened last month, Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader in Mashhad and the supreme leader’s representative in the province, warned that campus dissent was a threat to Iran’s rulers. He urged universities to track down offending elements and prepare the ground for dealing with them. Authorities are still arresting and prosecuting protesters linked to the January demonstrations, with some facing the death penalty.

The exact number of expulsions and suspensions remains unclear, but Ali Taghipour, an exiled Iranian activist who tracks student protests, noted that the severity of action has increased compared to past crackdowns. The process can take several months and involves multiple levels of hearings before the ministry overseeing universities signs off on punishments. A report in the reformist newspaper Shargh last month counted a growing tally of expulsions at half a dozen universities in the capital. At least ten students were expelled at the University of Tehran, and another ten at Amir Kabir University, while others received suspensions. The Associated Press has been unable to independently verify these specific cases.

The procedures appear designed to intimidate students into silence. Several students reported that administrators forced them to write out their defenses before being told the charges against them, leaving them to guess what to address. The social sciences student mentioned was charged with participating in an illegal gathering. His personal contact details were later published on pro-government social media channels, leading to fears of attacks by government supporters. Students describe pressure from officials to recant their anti-government stances to avoid punishment. A humanities student in Tehran said the main emphasis is getting students to admit they were wrong, characterizing the process as a psychological war. He shared screenshots of messages calling him a traitor and threatening his family after his identity was made public.

At Sharif University, one of Iran’s most elite schools, administrators have reviewed action against approximately 250 students. Farzad Rahmani, the student union president, told the reformist media outlet Ensaf that at least 40 of those students have faced hearings, and ten have been expelled. Disciplinary hearings typically involve university administrators, faculty members, a representative of the supreme leader, and the campus security agency known as Harasat. Harasat operates under the Intelligence Ministry and monitors political loyalty. Members of the Basij volunteer militia, which has a strong presence on campuses, also frequently participate in these panels. Taghipour explained that the Basij and Harasat play a strong role in identifying suspect students and gathering cases against them.

Despite the growing pressures, some students have remained defiant. A student union at one Tehran university stated last week that administrators and campus Basij members had threatened students who staged a gathering. The union released a statement on its Telegram channel, arguing that threatening students with expulsion or suspension for protesting is a sign of fear regarding the resurgence of student protests rather than a sign of strength. Iran’s college students have frequently propelled anti-government movements, including the 2022-23 protests against the mandatory headscarf. While President Masoud Pezeshkian’s government later allowed some expelled students to resume studies, authorities have since severely curtailed campus associations, viewing them as a source of unrest.

Hard-liners have also called for a renewed clampdown on headscarf enforcement. The University of Tehran announced on October 19 that it would refer female students who persist in violating headscarf rules to disciplinary hearings. An undergraduate student in his early 20s in Tehran noted that campus security is stopping female classmates more often over their dress, putting them under pressure. The widespread disciplinary action leaves students afraid that anyone could be expelled or arrested. One Sharif University student was arrested at his home in April, the day he was scheduled to attend a disciplinary hearing. Students describe rising fears that an all-out war could erupt again, with one undergraduate noting that the conflict has made it easier for authorities to securitize everything.