Student murder prompts protests, Riyadh wants to mediate—and more
The Iranist for the week of February 21, 2025
THE هفت/SEVEN THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEK:
۱/1 Murder of student prompts Tehran University protests
On February 14, protests erupted at Tehran University following the murder of student Amir Mohammad Khaleghi (Iran International). Khaleghi, a 19-year-old second-year business management student, was fatally stabbed during a robbery outside his dormitory on February 12. His laptop was stolen in the attack, which Iranian officials attributed to “two motorcycle-riding assailants.” (X)
In response, dozens of Tehran University students staged a sit-in at the university’s dormitory courtyard, demanding improved campus security, according to videos shared on social media (Reuters). In a statement, students declared that Khaleghi’s death was “not an accident, but the result of years of irresponsibility, indifference, and suppression of student demands.”
Security forces detained four students but later released them. Protesters were also met with excessive force, leaving one student with a broken nose, further fueling their outrage. Students chanted slogans such as “Shame on you,” “University security is a tool of the IRGC, you are our murderers,” and “The blood that has been spilled cannot be erased.” Others reportedly shouted from dorm windows, “Death to the Islamic Republic” and “Death to Khamenei.” (Iran International)
On February 15, First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref ordered an immediate investigation into the murder (AP). By February 16, solidarity protests had spread to other universities, including Amir Kabir, Sharif, Tabriz, Tarbiat Modares, and Shahid Beheshti, condemning the repression and showing support for the movement (IranWire).
On February 18, authorities announced the arrest of two suspects: the individual who carried out the murder and the motorcycle driver (IranWire). State media reported that both suspects had “explicitly confessed” during interrogations (Iran International).
Iranian universities have long been centers of protest, and officials fear a resurgence of mass anti-regime demonstrations similar to the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom uprising sparked by the murder of Kurdish-Iranian Mahsa Jina Amini by the so-called morality police. In 1999, the closure of the reformist newspaper Salam led to Tehran University protests that spread to other cities, resulting in multiple deaths and thousands of arrests by security forces, known as the 1999 student uprising.
۲/2 Israel says ‘we’ll finish the job’ on Iran with US support
On February 17, Iran condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s call as a breach of the United Nations Charter (New Arab). On the same day, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said, “We are not seeking war… We seek peace and tranquility.” (Iran International)
۳/3 British couple on motorcycle tour charged with espionage in Iran
In a Facebook post on December 29, 2024, Craig Foreman and Lindsay Foreman wrote:
“…FCDO advises against all travel to Iran… Iran and Pakistan. Both countries that have sparked so much debate and concern among our friends and family. The UK government advises against all but essential travel to these areas, and the news paints a pretty grim picture. But here’s the thing: overlanders and travellers who’ve ventured through these regions speak of nothing but warm hospitality, incredible landscapes, and memories that last a lifetime.
We want to find out for ourselves. That is why we are here. We believe that wherever they come from (most) humans are good, kind people wanting to live a good life.”
۴/4 Iran executed 975+ people in 2024—a ‘horrifying escalation’
۵/5 US deports Iranian Christian converts to Panama
On February 13, a video posted on Instagram went viral featuring Iranian asylum seekers describing their dire circumstances after being deported from the United States to Panama (X). In the video, 27-year-old Artemis Ghasemzadeh details their plight, stating, “All of our cases are legitimate. I’m a protester in Iran with a record. I can’t go back.” The group—consisting of a dozen people, including three children—are Christian converts who traveled from Iran to the US-Mexico border near California. They were initially told they would be taken to a detention center in Texas but were instead shackled, placed on a military cargo plane, and flown to Panama on February 12 (USA Today).
Mona, a 32-year-old asylum seeker, recounted how her 8-year-old son cried upon seeing his parents in shackles on the plane. To comfort him, she told her son it was just a video game (New York Times). A photo of the group standing by their hotel window with “Help Us” written in lipstick has made rounds on social media (X).
In a separate interview, Ghasemzadeh explained why the group had decided to travel despite President Donald Trump’s mass deportation plan:
“Before I crossed the border from Mexico about a month ago, I had heard President-elect Trump say he would tighten deportation measures. But we thought he meant criminals, not people who are genuinely in danger and have done nothing wrong. Everyone, really everyone, has asked me to say please do not deport us to our country of origin, we are in danger there. Our first request is a reprieve from President Trump—just for our cases to be reviewed.” (France24)
On February 18, the Iranian asylum seekers were relocated to a remote migrant center in Panama’s Darién province, a region known for its harsh conditions (Iran International). It remains unclear what rights and legal processes are being afforded to them.
On February 20, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baqaei condemned the US government’s treatment of Iranian nationals as “inhumane and unjustifiable” (Iran Front Page). Tehran maintains that seeking asylum in a third country does not violate Iranian law and insists it welcomes its citizens back. However, Christian converts are unable to practice their faith freely and safely in Iran as converting from Islam is considered apostasy under the Islamic Penal Code and can carry a death sentence.
۶/6 Saudi Arabia open to mediating US-Iran nuclear deal
۷/7 Khamenei urges Qatar to release $6 billion in frozen oil funds
OTHER اخبار/NEWS THAT MADE HEADLINES:
Human Rights
۰ Four executed in Isfahan prison on drug charges (IranWire)
۰ Death sentence for woman labor activist re-issued (CHRI)
۰ Baluch mother dies after witnessing son's violent arrest (IranWire)
۰ Christian convert arrested in northern Iran (IranWire)
۰ Gelareh Abbasi arrested by intelligence ministry and transferred to Evin (HRANA)
۰ Political prisoner held incommunicado in Tehran Prison (IranWire)
۰ Teachers’ rights activist released from Evin Prison after serving sentence (IranWire)
۰ Political prisoner granted 48-hour leave to take PhD exam (IranWire)
۰ When grief becomes crime: Iran’s war on mothers (IranWire)
۰ 20 organizations alarmed by appointment of notorious judge as head of High Council for Human Rights (CHRI)
۰ How Iran targets women dissidents abroad (New Lines Magazine)
۰ Geneva Summit spotlights rights abuses in Iran (Iran International)
Domestic Issues
۰ Khamenei warns of attempts to create 'discord' in Iran (AFP)
۰ Iran lawmakers move to sack country’s economy minister as rial plunges (AFP)
۰ Iranian officials trade blame as energy crisis (Al-Monitor)
۰ 15 students poisoned by carbon monoxide at school (IranWire)
۰ 205 matchmaking websites licensed amid declining marriage rates (Iran International)
۰ Police find fuel smuggling pipeline on Iranian island (IranWire)
۰ Inside Tehran’s Metro ‘Repentance Rooms’: VR meets religious propaganda (IranWire)
۰ Legendary voice actor Manouchehr Valizadeh dies at 84 (IranWire)
Foreign Policy + Security
۰ Top Iranian general warns Tehran will strike Israel again at ‘appropriate time’ (Times of Israel)
۰ IRGC dismantles alleged spy network linked to Israel, US (Al-Monitor)
۰ An Iranian drone lands in Queens (Wall Street Journal)
۰ Iran unveils new drones in military drill (Al-Monitor)
۰ IRGC commander: Iran poised for conflict, developed advanced missile arsenal (Jerusalem Post)
۰ Iran is surging weapons production, but will it deter Israeli strikes? (Al-Monitor)
۰ Russia says talks with US will have no impact on cooperation with Iran (Times of Israel)
۰ Iran watches US-Russia talks with apprehension (RFE/RL)
۰ Lebanon blocked Iran planes after US warnings that Israel could shoot them down, source says (AFP)
۰ Iran’s abandoned bases in Syria: Years of military expansion lie in ruins (BBC)
Iran Deal + Sanctions
۰ Iran says it can build new nuclear facilities if enemies strike (Reuters)
۰ IAEA warns about Iran's accelerated uranium production (Radio Farda)
۰ Tehran and Baghdad hold talks as five more Iraqi banks face US dollar ban (Iran International)
۰ Iranians flock to crypto amidst geopolitical tension (Chainalysis)
Arts + Culture
۰ A glimpse at Picasso and Pollock masterpieces kept in Tehran vault (BBC)