Fear grips anti-government Iranians amid mass protests backing state
As the US-Israeli war rages overhead, a different kind of tension is taking hold across Iranian cities.
In the two weeks since Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed, Iranian security forces have become an ever-present force, helping to stage rallies, manning checkpoints and carrying out checks on civilians on the streets.
For some Iranians, this has created a climate of fear, with people caught between the threat of air strikes and the intimidation by government supporters.
Seema, a 42-year-old mother who lives in the central city of Yazd, said she struggles to breathe normally when she remembers what happened to her only days ago.
She told Middle East Eye that groups of pro-government motorcyclists have been out on the streets of Yazd every night since Khamenei’s death.
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“We were driving home with my nine-year-old son when suddenly several motorbikes surrounded our car in the traffic,” she said.
The riders, whom Seema described as “Hezbollah-style loyalists”, were shouting slogans such as “Khamenei is our leader” and “God’s hand has appeared, our leader has become young”, referring to the appointment of a new supreme leader.
“They started kicking our car,” she said. “My son began screaming. I was terrified. But it felt like they enjoyed seeing us scared even more. They kept kicking the car.”
Loyalists return to the streets
Seema is not the only opponent of the state expressing concern about the growing public presence of government supporters.
Across several Iranian cities, residents report rallies by pro-government groups and the visible deployment of Basij paramilitary members and other security forces.
Iranian security forces, such as the Basij, are deployed during anti-government protests but also serve as an auxilliary force taking on security duties in times of crisis, such as war.
Ali, a 34-year-old resident of Tehran, said the atmosphere in the capital has become increasingly oppressive for him.
“It feels like someone has unleashed a pack of wild dogs,” he said angrily. “The sound of missiles and fighter jets is already unbearable. Now we also have to endure the shouting of government supporters in the streets.”
Ali said checkpoints have multiplied around the capital in recent days.
“I live near Imam Hossein Square in central Tehran,” he explained. “You cannot imagine how toxic the atmosphere has become.”
According to Ali, many of the people manning checkpoints appear to be young Basij volunteers, some of them teenagers, carrying weapons and stopping cars to question drivers.
“They ask pointless questions: where are you going, where have you been, what is your job?”
Ali believes public anger is building beneath the surface. “People are furious,” he said. “But nobody can do anything because these forces are extremely aggressive.”
'The government is showing teeth'
The growing street presence of Iranians who support the government on the streets comes as officials have openly encouraged loyalists to mobilise.
On 11 March, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf posted on X, urging citizens to show their presence in public.
'The sound of missiles and fighter jets is already unbearable. Now we also have to endure the shouting of government supporters in the streets'
- Ali, Tehran resident
His message repeated a simple phrase three times: “Presence in the streets.”
Analysts say such calls appear aimed at demonstrating that the Islamic Republic still retains a base of support, even after the killing of its long-time leader and during ongoing military attacks.
Some observers had expected that Khamenei’s death might weaken the security apparatus and open space for anti-government protests.
Instead, such protests never materialised and the authorities appear to be trying to project control.
Another show of strength came on Quds Day, the annual pro-Palestine rallies organised by the Iranian government on the last Friday of Ramadan.
Azin, a 26-year-old resident of Tehran, said the authorities transported participants to demonstrations by bus.
“My home is near Azadi Square,” she said, “They brought people in buses so they could show the crowds on television and claim they still have massive support.”
Azin said she saw several buses parked near the square after the demonstration.
For her, the initial excitement anti-government Iranians felt after Khamenei’s death did not last long.
“The happiness people felt was very brief,” she said. “Now the government is showing its teeth even more aggressively.”
War outside, repression inside
As the US and Israel press on with air strikes across Iran, Iranian security officials have warned citizens against joining anti-government protests.
On 11 March, Ahmad Reza Radan, Iran’s national police chief, warned that anyone taking to the streets at what he called the “enemy’s request” would be treated by police as an enemy.
Meanwhile, opposition figure Reza Pahlavi, the son of the last shah of Iran, has urged Iranians to stay home for their own safety while waiting for what he called a future “final call”.
Soheil, a 33-year-old resident of Mashhad, said the streets now belong only to the government's supporters.
“You can go outside,” he said bitterly, “But only if you chant in support of the Islamic Republic. If you say anything else, they will kill you.”
Raising his voice, he added: “Radan says they will treat us like enemies if we protest. But during the January protests, didn’t they already open fire on people?”
'I don't know if anyone can save us'
Checkpoints and security posts have also become targets for the US and Israel in their war on Iran.
On the morning of 13 March, Israeli strikes reportedly hit a checkpoint in southern Tehran and two police stations near Azadi Street in the west of the capital.
For many Iranians, such attacks create conflicting emotions.
Ghazaleh, a 48-year-old resident of Tehran, said the issue is complicated.
“If checkpoints were really there to provide security, that would be fine,” she said.
“But according to the government itself, thousands of terrorists supposedly entered Iran during the January unrest. If that was true, what were these checkpoints doing then? They were busy checking whether a woman’s headscarf had slipped or whether someone had alcohol in their car.”
Yet Ghazaleh also worries about the human cost of the strikes.
“Who stands at these checkpoints?” she asked. “It’s not only Basij members. Ordinary people are waiting in line to pass through. They can be killed too.”
She strongly criticised the Iranians who once supported US and Israeli military action.
“Where are those people now who said Israel and America have ‘precision strikes’?” she said angrily. “Don’t they see that civilians are also dying?”
For Ghazaleh, the war has left ordinary Iranians trapped between forces beyond their control.
“We are stuck between two groups of criminals,” she said. “Neither side cares about the people. They only care about their political goals.”
She paused before adding : “I don’t know if anyone can save us.”
As the second week since Khamenei’s death comes to an end, anti-government Iranians fear they may pay the price for the devastating war, only to see the Islamic Republic emerge even more repressive than before.
For residents like Seema, Ali and Ghazaleh, the growing presence of Iranians who support the government on the streets only deepens that fear.
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