IRGC Chief Warns against Renewed Nationwide Protests

The commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned against a resurgence of widespread protests in Iran on the anniversary of Mahsa Amini’s death next month.

Last year’s anti-establishment protests sparked by Amini’s death “represented the most powerful, most dangerous, most serious and far-reaching opposition to the Islamic Republic," Hossein Salami told officials of the paramilitary Basij force on August 1.

"The enemy intends to instigate sedition on the anniversary of the events that occurred during the autumn," Salami said, calling for a proactive "prevention" approach to "counter this threat.”

He also praised the joint efforts by the Basij and IRGC in suppressing the women-led protest movement.

Amini, 22, died on September 16, three days after being arrested by the morality police in Tehran for allegedly wearing a headscarf improperly. Her death triggered months of nationwide demonstrations that quickly escalated into calls for the overthrow of the Islamic Republic. The authorities cracked down hard on the demonstrations, killing hundreds of people and unlawfully detaining thousands.

While the protests appear to have waned in recent months, resistance to mandatory hijab law for women remains strong.

The Iranian government's ongoing crackdown on women flouting the Islamic Republic’s strict dress code and businesses failing to enforce hijab rules on their customers appear to be part of a "prevention" strategy promoted by Salami.

Recently, the head of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei's representatives at the universities has warned that academic institutions could become hotspots for a resurgence of demonstrations.

He predicted that if the protesters failed to take significant action during the first anniversary of the "Woman, Life, Freedom" demonstrations, the protest movement would face a "complete failure."