Verified footage indicates student protests resumed on multiple Iranian campuses on Saturday, 21 February 2026, the largest student mobilisation since January’s lethal crackdown. AFPTV geolocated clashes near Sharif University’s aerospace department in Tehran, while BBC Verify journalists posted geolocated video from the same campus. (thesun.my)
At Sharif University of Technology, crowds chanted anti‑government slogans, including “death to the dictator” and “freedom”, as rival groups traded insults such as “bi sharaf” (“disgraceful”). Video and local reporting show pushing and scuffles between protesters and pro‑government supporters before the gatherings dispersed. (thesun.my)
Additional verified images and clips point to a peaceful sit‑in at Tehran’s Shahid Beheshti University and rallying at Amirkabir University of Technology. Reports from the north‑east also referenced student gatherings in Mashhad with pro‑freedom chants, though independent arrest figures for Saturday were not available at the time of publication. (moneycontrol.com)
Organisers and opposition‑aligned channels circulated calls for further rallies on Sunday, 22 February. Campus commemorations coincided with the reopening of universities for a new semester, with memorial slogans for those killed in January woven into the protests. (moneycontrol.com)
The scale of last month’s violence remains contested. The US‑based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) reported 6,872 confirmed deaths as of 4 February, with thousands more cases under review, while Iranian authorities have acknowledged just over 3,000 deaths, attributing many to what they call terrorist attacks. (hra-iran.org)
The 21 February campus gatherings marked roughly 40 days since the peak of killings on 8–9 January - a traditional mourning point in Shia communities. Visual evidence from AFPTV and other outlets shows that memorial activities blended with explicitly political slogans on several campuses. (thesun.my)
Diplomacy continued in parallel. Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said indirect talks with the United States in Geneva on Tuesday, 17 February, achieved “good progress” on guiding principles for a potential agreement and that drafting work has begun, with Oman acting as mediator. (aljazeera.com)
The security backdrop remains tense. AFP‑sourced reporting notes a reinforced US military presence in the region, and President Donald Trump has publicly warned Tehran to reach a deal within roughly 10–15 days. Araghchi has said Washington is not demanding zero enrichment, while insisting Iran will keep its programme peaceful. (thesun.my)
Information conditions are highly volatile. Fact‑checking teams, including DW’s, have flagged both pro‑ and anti‑government misinformation and synthetic video in circulation around the protests - a factor that complicates assessments and underscores the value of geolocated material and open‑source verification. (amp.dw.com)