In the third week of Iran’s ongoing nationwide uprising, the landscape of resistance has shifted dramatically. Protesters in Ilam Province have reportedly gained effective control over two cities, driving back security forces and demonstrating a level of tactical organization that threatens the very survival of the clerical dictatorship.

This is not an isolated outburst of anger; it is the culmination of a momentum that brought the regime to the brink of collapse in September 2022, building upon the foundations of defiance laid during the mass uprisings of 2018 and 2019.

These successive movements have systematically chipped away at the mullahs’ hold on power. While international observers categorized the 2022 protests as the greatest challenge to the ruling system since the 1979 revolution, the current uprising is poised to exceed its predecessor in both scale and intensity.

In a short time, protests have ignited in all 31 Iranian provinces and more than 200 distinct locations. From 35 university campuses to the historic bazaars, merchants have launched impromptu strikes, reacting to a cratering national currency and an economy ravaged by government corruption and chronic mismanagement.

While economic desperation provided the initial spark, the Iranian people were quick to adopt a broader, more profound political mandate. The movement has followed a clear evolutionary pattern: starting with specific grievances and rapidly expanding into a nationwide rejection of the entire ruling apparatus. This shift has been facilitated by an organized network of “Resistance Units” affiliated with the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), which has helped transform spontaneous outrage into a cohesive political force.

The chants echoing through the streets of Iran today leave no room for ambiguity. The people have made an unequivocal statement: they reject the monarchy as a relic of the past and the current theocracy as a pillar of oppression.

Their defining slogan, “Death to the dictator, whether Shah or Supreme Leader,” reveals a remarkable resilience. It signals that the Iranian people will not settle for a return to hereditary rule; they demand a democratic republic that enshrines the sovereignty of the nation.

This demand for a “Third Way” is rooted in decades of sacrifice. The PMOI, the main component of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), played a central role in the revolution against Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi before breaking with Ayatollah Khomeini’s theocratic vision.

This defiance led to the dark era of the 1980s, culminating in the 1988 massacre of political prisoners. Following a fatwa declaring opposition to the ruling cleric as “enmity against God,” an estimated 30,000 people were executed in a single summer for refusing to disavow their pro-democracy views.

Today, the threat of a repeated massacre looms large. The regime’s crackdown on the 2022 uprising claimed 750 lives and ushered in a surge of executions that has grown more horrific each year. Human rights monitors estimate that over 2,000 prisoners were hanged in 2025 alone, with more than 110 executions recorded in just the first week of 2026. The current crackdown has already seen at least 44 killings within the first ten days, and with arrests exceeding 1,200, the prospect of politically motivated death sentences is inescapable.

Tehran is already attempting to justify this violence by smearing protesters as “rioters” and agents of foreign “enemies.” This rhetoric has been reinforced by reactionary legislation passed following the 12-day military conflict between the Islamic Republic and Israel in June 2025.

Since then, dozens have been put to death on questionable charges of espionage or participation in previous protests.

However, the regime’s reliance on the noose appears to be failing as a deterrent. Despite the brutality of the Khamenei regime, the march to liberate the nation continues unabated. Iranians from all walks of life are openly calling for a transition to the democratic system outlined in the NCRI’s “ten-point plan” — a vision for a secular, non-nuclear, and pluralistic Iran.

The ongoing defiance of the Iranian people is an act of historic bravery that demands more than just silent observation. While the organized opposition rejects foreign intervention, it emphasizes that political recognition from Western powers, paired with rigorous diplomatic and economic pressure, is vital.

Such support would ensure that this uprising finally achieves the long-held goal of regime change, establishing a democratic republic that represents the true will of the Iranian people.

Patrick J. Kennedy represented Rhode Island’s 1st District in the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2011.