Iran’s nightly pro-government rallies reveal both unity and deep divisions

AI Summary

Iran’s nightly pro-government rallies in Tehran reflect a complex mixture of national unity and deep political divisions amid the ongoing US-Israel war on Iran. The rallies, supported by state forces and predominantly involving Basij members and Revolutionary Guard supporters, continue despite internet restrictions and widespread public disruptions.

Iran’s nightly pro-government rallies reveal both unity and deep divisions MEE correspondent on Sat, 06/06/2026 - 09:45 Demonstrations, diplomacy and war anxieties shape the mood on Iranian streets A woman holds a portrait of Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei during a rally against the US and Israel in Tehran on 29 May 2026 (AFP) Off Standing among a crowd gathered in central Tehran late one night in May, Mohsen, 34, appeared visibly frustrated as he spoke. “Why should we stay home?” he said. “So they can attack again, send their soldiers in and turn Iran into another Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan or Libya?” Since the US-Israeli war on Iran began on 28 February, Mohsen said he has attended as many of the nightly rallies in support of the Iranian government as possible. To him, the anti-US and anti-Israel gatherings show that at least part of the country views the conflict less as a political struggle and more as a matter of national survival. “Of course we come out every night,” he told Middle East Eye. “We want them to understand that we will never allow foreigners onto this land.” The rallies started around the middle of March. Since then, groups of people have been gathering almost every night in major squares across Iran. They wave Iranian flags, chant against the United States and Israel and stay in the streets for hours. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); The demonstrations continued despite a nationwide internet shutdown and continued after restrictions were partially lifted. Authorities have not hidden their support for the rallies. In Tehran especially, streets leading to gathering points are often blocked off. Police forces are present every night. Loudspeakers and stages are set up before crowds arrive. State media describe the demonstrations as spontaneous public movements. But critics see something else. Hessam, a 36-year-old Tehran resident, said he went to several rallies himself after constantly seeing footage of them on television. “I wanted to see what was really happening there,” he said. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); According to him, many of the people attending are the same groups that usually appear during crackdowns on protests. “A lot of them are Basij members, religious hard-liners or Revolutionary Guard supporters,” he said. “Now they walk through the streets every night shouting slogans while everyone else has to deal with the noise and disruption.” Hessam believes that if government opponents were ever given the same freedom to gather publicly, the crowds would be much larger. Between patriotism and political anger Not everyone attending the rallies, however, appears to be closely tied to the state. For some Iranians, the fear of a broader war with the United States and Israel has complicated old political divisions. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Mona, a 41-year-old woman from Tehran, said she has spent years criticising the government, especially over domestic issues. Still, she added, war changes how many people think. In Tehran, exhausted Iranians are caught between war and the shadow of war Read More » “You should not take family disputes outside the house,” she said. “People may disagree with me, but I think there is a difference between a government that created problems for its own people and foreign countries that may want to destroy the country altogether.” Mona has attended the rallies about 10 times. “Foreign powers leave destruction behind and move on,” she said. “A dictator may pressure people and create suffering, but in the end he is still Iranian. He would not want to see the country destroyed.” She added that many people around her also look at the wider region and feel uneasy about where another war could lead. “Look at Gaza, Lebanon or Syria,” she says. “People see what happened there.” 'Streets, streets, streets' In recent weeks, Iranian officials have repeatedly praised the rallies. In a written statement published on 9 April, Iran’s new supreme leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, called on supporters to remain active in public spaces and said ongoing negotiations with Washington should not be seen as a reason to leave the streets. “The presence of the people in the streets has created a new epic,” he wrote. “Negotiations may continue, but people should not think their presence in the streets is no longer necessary.” The message was widely seen as an attempt to sustain public mobilisation even as diplomatic contacts with the United States continued behind the scenes. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the parliament speaker and Iran’s lead negotiator in talks with Washington, has also encouraged supporters to continue gathering. On 11 March, he wrote in a post on X: “Dear people of Iran, your presence in the streets has confused the enemy. This humble soldier has three requests: streets, streets, streets.” For supporters of the rall