Another round of talks, 'Moosh Ali'—and more

The Iranist for the week of February 27, 2026

THE هفت‌/SEVEN THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEK:

۱/1 The kids are alright

On February 21, the first day of the new semester, students at universities in various parts of Iran, including the capital, Tehran, began anti-regime protests (ABC News). Videos circulating online show clashes on campuses at more than half a dozen universities, including at Tehran’s Sharif University of Technology—known as the country’s MIT—where plainclothes agents and Basij forces were seen physically attacking students (X). Anti-regime chants included: “We fight, we die, we take back Iran,” “Death to the Islamic Republic,” “Political prisoners must be freed,” “Freedom, freedom, freedom,” “Khamenei you Zahhak (serpent king), we’ll bury you alive,” “Dishonorable,” “Woman, Life, Freedom,” “Long live the shah,” and “This is the last battle, Pahlavi will return.” (X/X/X/X) According to The Guardian, “The protesters have also called the Basijis the sons of sex workers and made comments about the sexual life of the supreme leader.” The pre-1979 flag with the lion and sun was raised, and one student held an artist’s drawing of the ousted Mohammad Reza Shah.

Leyla, a student at Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, explained why students were protesting:

“Because nobody can tolerate this much grief. We didn’t coordinate the protests in advance. It was supposed to be only a silent sit-in. [But] as soon as the students began to speak, everyone stood behind and continued. Even if it doesn’t lead to anything concrete, it is symbolic: showing that they couldn’t silence the people.” (The Guardian)

Mohammad, a civil engineering student at Amirkabir University of Technology in Tehran, said:

“Our presence tells the world that, despite the horrific killings, we are determined to kick out this murderous cult, to signal bravery at a moment of mourning. The regime killings add fuel to our fire. What actually kills us is fear. Fear is lethal. If we retreat, we are technically dead, this movement will be choked, and we’d betray all the blood shed on our streets and alleyways.” (CS Monitor)

One of the most shocking moments was the burning of the Islamic Republic flag while chanting, “Death to the Islamic Republic” and the hanging of a rat doll—dubbed “Moosh Ali” (Rat Ali)—wearing a turban to represent Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (X/ X). In a viral video, Basijis are seen scrambling up a tree to retrieve the doll as other students hurl insults (X). The narrator in the clip says that the students are “executing” Khamenei. “Rat Ali” has since become a viral symbol, spawning memes and AI-generated videos mocking the Supreme Leader, whom anti-regime Iranians say is hiding “like a rat.” (X/X/X)

An AI-generated meme of Moosh Ali (X)

Roya Boroumand, cofounder and executive director of the Abdorrahman Boroumand Center for Human Rights in Iran, told me:

“Burning the flag or hanging a toy mouse labeled ‘Moosh Ali’ (a reference to the Supreme Leader) are crimes under Iran’s criminal law, but they can lead to prison on charges of ‘insulting the Leader,’ and/or ‘assembly and collusion against national security.’ However, in today’s tense internal and international context, prosecutors may seek a harsher punishment, including death for ‘corruption on earth,’ framing these acts and the footage transmission and dissemination as ‘cooperation with a hostile state’ under the broad provisions of the punitive 2025 Espionage Law.”

On February 24, Attorney General Mohammad Mohebi Azad said, “The responsible agencies must quickly identify the related elements and take decisive and legal action against them. Whenever the system has been on the path of negotiations, certain currents, under the guidance of the enemy, have tried to inflame the domestic atmosphere.” (The Guardian) Several students have been arrested already.

Nearly 80 percent of Iran’s universities are now conducting virtual classes, in part to prevent further student protests. Student sources told IranWire that “ protests are still underway in at least 63 universities nationwide, even as security measures have grown stricter.”

These are extraordinary displays of bravery after an unprecedented massacre. The group Human Rights Activists in Iran claims 7,005 people have been killed, including 214 security forces, and is reviewing an additional 10,000. On February 20, President Donald Trump claimed that 32,000 had been killed (CBS News).

۲/2 Latest round of talks leaves sides far apart on key issues

The story is moving so quickly that I didn’t have the bandwidth to write a comprehensive summary for this week’s newsletter. That being said, this report from Politico, however, stood out to me:

“Senior advisers to President Donald Trump would prefer Israel strike Iran before the United States launches an assault on the country… These Trump administration officials are privately arguing that an Israeli attack would trigger Iran to retaliate, helping muster support from American voters for a US strike.”

Speaking of American voters, House Democratic leadership and ranking members have announced that a vote on the Iran war powers resolution will take place next week (House.gov/Politico).

And, if you heard President Trump’s comments at the State of the Union on February 24 about Tehran “working to build missiles that would soon reach the United States of America,” those claims were reportedly not backed by US intelligence (Reuters).

۳/3 Doctors and nurses describe massacre in horrowing detail

۴/4 Davoud Sohrabi, shot by security forces, succumbs to wounds

۵/5 VOA isn’t covering former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi

۶/6 Iranian child adopted in 1970s may be deported by ICE

۷/7 Japanese journalist imprisoned in Iran

OTHER اخبار/NEWS THAT MADE HEADLINES:

Human Rights

۰ ‘Emnity against God’: Iran issues death sentence linked to January unrest, source says (Jerusalem Post)

۰ Milad Bakhtiari receives 20-month prison term (HRANA)

۰ Journalist Elaheh Mohammadi released after hours at prosecutor’s office (IranWire)

۰ A refuge in the dark: The Tehran home that treated protesters for 19 nights (Iran International)

۰ Iranian protesters recount the ‘war zone’ that left thousands dead (Wall Street Journal)

۰ Iran’s machinery of repression escalates: arbitrary arrests, torture, enforced disappearances, and death sentences after protest massacre (CHRI)

۰ UN experts demand iran reveal fate of detainees, halt executions (CHRI)

Domestic Issues

۰ Iranians are tired of revolution and revolutionary Islam (IranWire)

۰ Filtered for millions, open for a few: Iran’s ‘Simcard Pro’ goes on sale (IranWire)

۰ Iranian military helicopter crashes into fruit market, four dead (Reuters)

Foreign Policy + Security

۰ Inside Iran’s preparations for war and plans for survival (New York Times)

۰ Iran would be outgunned in any war with the US but could still inflict considerable pain (AP)

۰ Vance: ‘No chance’ US will be in drawn-out war in Middle East (Washington Post)

۰ Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi on US military intervention in Iran and how a post Islamic Republic ‘transition’ would work (ABC.net)

۰ Why Iranians are increasingly willing to settle for Reza Pahlavi (Politico)

۰ Iran agreed secret shoulder-fired missile deal with Russia (Financial Times)

۰ Iran nears deal to buy supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles from China (Reuters)

۰ Lebanon fears Israel attack on infrastructure amid Iran tensions (The New Arab)

۰ France sentences Iranian woman to a year in prison for social media posts ‘justifying terrorism’ (France24)

Iran Deal + Sanctions

۰ US expands sanctions on Iran over oil sales, weapons program (Reuters)

Economy + Trade

۰ ‘People are getting poorer’: How Iran’s struggling economy is changing how families live (BBC News)

۰ Inflation in February 2026 sets new historic peak (IranWire)