Iran’s Deadly Crackdown Fuels Expanding Resistance at Home and Abroad

The European Union’s designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist entity on January 29, 2026, offered a measure of consolation to many Iranians still shaken by the government’s crackdown on protestors three weeks earlier. Active resistance to the Islamic Republic has spread widely inside Iran and across the diaspora, judging by social media activity and large protests in European and North American cities.

The fate of thousands of detainees remains unknown. Reports point to summary executions, closed-door expedited trials, and a sweeping arrest campaign targeting participants in the unprecedented protests.

Iranians, slowly recovering from what many describe as the largest mass killing of civilians by a country’s military in modern history, are stepping up their activism against the Islamic government. Estimates of the death toll range from 20,000 to more than 50,000, with a working consensus near 35,000 killed within forty-eight hours between January 8-9. Authorities maintain a far lower figure of 3,000 to 5,000 and insist most victims were American or Israeli agents who deserved punishment.

Social media features many posts openly welcoming possible American military intervention. Figures linked to the establishment, past or present, counter that foreign intervention never should be accepted, regardless of government conduct. One of them is Mir-Hossein Mousavi, prime minister under Ruhollah Khomeini in the 1980s. Although now at odds with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, he still appears committed to Islamic governance. He calls for a national referendum on a new constitution. Opponents argue that no system willing to kill tens of thousands to stay in power can be expected to permit a free and fair vote.

Public figures—including professionals and previously non-aligned citizens—increasingly support political change and accountability for officials implicated in the mass killings. Seventeen public figures inside Iran, among them journalists and educators who took significant personal risk, issued a statement in Tehran, declaring: “We know well that no authoritarian system voluntarily agrees to hold a referendum.”

Anti-government activists across age groups have launched coordinated and individual efforts to identify security personnel accused of shooting protesters. Hundreds of Revolutionary Guard members have been named publicly. Activists publish names, phone numbers, and addresses of Guard and Basij paramilitary personnel on social platforms. Some posts urge them to defect and join the public; others contain direct threats of retaliation.

One such message read: “Basiji, we all know who you are. You will pay for the blood you have shed with the harshest punishments… Neither you nor your families will be safe.”

Activists in North America and Europe also focus on children and relatives of senior Islamic Republic officials who live and work in Western countries. Campaigns have pressured several universities to dismiss a few high-profile individuals. Their most significant success followed a January 29 announcement by the State Department, revoking entry privileges for senior Iranian officials and their family members and saying that those who benefit from repression should not gain from the U.S. immigration system.

A group calling itself the Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists concentrates mainly on U.S. cases. It writes to employers and members of Congress, documents family links, and exposes how some relatives of officials obtained visas, permanent residency, or citizenship.

Iranians await U.S. military strikes, knowing that Washington will not target civilians. Some Iranians have warned that, in the event of an air attack, it is important to remember that security forces often use schools and mosques as staging areas, making it likely that such sites could be struck. Activists are also warning people not to go to government-designated shelters, saying that they might have placed explosives in schools and mosques to detonate during air strikes so that they then can blame the United States for civilian deaths.

The United States has expanded its military footprint in the Middle East, deploying a carrier strike group, additional aircraft, defensive systems, and more personnel. The buildup signals deterrence and operational readiness while preserving both diplomatic and military options depending on Tehran’s next steps.

So far, Tehran has shown no public readiness to offer major concessions to Washington on its nuclear and missile programs, regional militant support, or the violent suppression of protesters. Many observers believe Khamenei will not abandon what he sees as the core pillars of his power.