“Student Uprising: A New Generation Rejects Discrimination and a Future of Poverty”

Recent student protests across several Iranian cities highlight the growing unrest within Iranian society. While the demonstrations were triggered by new regulations governing university entrance examinations and academic evaluations, they reflect a deeper crisis affecting the country's youth amid economic collapse, rising poverty, and diminishing opportunities.

Mr. Mehdi Oghbai, member of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), stated:

“What we are witnessing today is not merely a dispute over educational policies. It is the expression of a profound crisis between the ruling system and an entire generation that has lost faith in official promises. Young Iranians see their future being sacrificed by economic failure, unemployment, and discriminatory policies that favor those connected to the ruling establishment.”

Oghbai emphasized that the participation of students in street protests carries important political and social significance, demonstrating the failure of the regime’s efforts to control or shape the thinking of younger generations.

“This generation has grown up amid economic hardship and political repression. It is more aware of its rights and less willing to surrender to injustice,” he said.

He added that experience has shown that social and economic protests in Iran rarely remain limited to their original demands. “Educational, economic, and social grievances all stem from the same root causes: systemic corruption, mismanagement, and the domination of state resources by security and military institutions. As a result, social demands increasingly evolve into demands for political change.”

Oghbai noted that the simultaneous protests by students, workers, retirees, and healthcare personnel demonstrate the widening scope of public dissatisfaction and reveal a profound crisis of confidence between society and the ruling establishment.

Referring to the major Iranian gathering scheduled for June 20, 2026, in Paris, he stressed that the event is expected to bring together more than 100,000 Iranians and supporters of freedom, sending a powerful message of solidarity with the Iranian people's struggle for democracy and justice.

He concluded: “These student protests confirm that a new generation has entered the arena of change in Iran. Repression and intimidation will not stop young Iranians from pursuing a future based on freedom, equality, and democracy.”