There should be a Marxist-Leninist Iran and a Marxist-Leninist America.
By Amir Hussein-radjy And Kareem Chehayeb The Associated Press CAIRO (AP) — Students held anti-government protests at universities across Iran’s capital on Monday, according to witnesses and videos circulating online, in a new sign of unrest as U.S. forces gather in the region for possible strikes.
The protests, in which many students expressed support for the exiled crown prince of Iran’s long-deposed monarchy, began over the weekend. Demonstrations erupted on at least three university campuses on Monday, in one instance leading to scuffles with the paramilitary Basij.
Iran launched a fierce crackdown in January on mass protests, killing thousands of people and detaining tens of thousands. U.S. President Donald Trump threatened military action in response before shifting his focus to Iran’s disputed nuclear program and warning it to make a deal.
American and Iranian negotiators are set to hold another round of indirect talks in Geneva this week, where Iran is expected to make a detailed proposal on reining in its nuclear program. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, is meanwhile heading toward the Middle East to join another carrier.
Iran says its nuclear program is entirely peaceful and that it hasn’t enriched uranium since 12 days of Israeli and U.S. strikes last June. The U.S. and others have long suspected Iran of seeking nuclear weapons. Iran has not allowed inspections of its nuclear sites since they were heavily bombed last year.
Clapping and chants
Nationwide protests erupted late last year after Iran’s currency collapsed in the face of longstanding U.S. sanctions over the nuclear program. Demonstrators have called for the overthrow of the Shiite theocracy that has ruled the country since the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
Protests broke out Monday at Sharif University, an elite college in the capital, according to a student. The student said he and his classmates gathered outside a cafeteria midday before donning face masks and clapping and chanting during the Muslim call to prayer over loudspeakers.
As the crowd swelled, one student held up a printed flag emblazoned with the lion-and-sun of the monarchy, as dozens chanted slogans supporting exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi.
The student said scuffles broke out between protesters and members of the Basij, which has played a key role in quashing dissent over the years, as university security guards tried to separate the two.