Chant rejecting Gaza, Lebanon heard at protest in Tehran, Kermanshah

Catherine Perez-Shakdam, a French-born Jewish commentator who has said she spent years gaining access to senior figures in Iran’s ruling establishment, posted a message of solidarity with protesters on Tuesday, telling Iranians “you are not alone” as demonstrations continued.

In a lengthy post on X addressed to “the people of Iran,” Perez-Shakdam praised protesters for confronting what she described as decades of repression.

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“You continue to stand, to speak, and to insist on the simplest right of all: to live as free citizens rather than as subjects,” she wrote.

“You deserve a country governed by law, not by terror; by accountability, not by corruption; by consent, not by coercion,” she wrote, ending her message with “solidarity and respect.”

Students at several major universities in Tehran held protest gatherings on Tuesday, chanting political and economic slogans as demonstrations widened across the capital.

Footage received by Iran International showed students at Shahid Beheshti University chanting slogans including, “You are the pervert, you are the harasser, I am the free woman,” during a campus gathering.

Separate videos showed students at Iran University of Science and Technology chanting, “Where is justice?” as they rallied on university grounds.

At Sharif University of Technology, students were heard chanting, “Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, my life for Iran,” a slogan rejecting regional spending in favor of domestic priorities.

In a statement, the ministry said Canada’s move violated international law by branding an official branch of Iran’s armed forces as “terrorist,” and said the new designation was a reciprocal response.

Canada listed the IRGC under its Criminal Code in June 2024, a step Ottawa said was aimed at curbing alleged Iranian influence operations and holding Tehran to account over security and human-rights concerns.

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The exchange adds to long-running tensions between the two countries. Canada has imposed multiple rounds of sanctions on Iranian officials in recent years and has cited the IRGC’s role in domestic repression as part of its rationale.

Canada severed diplomatic ties with Iran in 2012 and closed its embassy in Tehran, leaving the two countries without formal diplomatic relations.

Former US national security adviser Mike Flynn voiced support for protesters in Iran on Tuesday, reposting a message by exiled prince Reza Pahlavi and urging Iranians to rise up against clerical rule.

Flynn, a retired US Army lieutenant general, shared Pahlavi’s post on X and added his own message backing the demonstrations.

“Pray for the people of Iran right now who have lived under draconian fear of the Ayatollah’s brutal and tyrannical regime,” Flynn wrote. “Time to rise up and take your nation back.”

Pahlavi, the son of Iran’s last shah, wrote earlier on X: “My compatriots, you have taken the streets into your own hands. I am with you. Victory is ours because our cause is just and because we are united.”

Shopkeepers in the cities of Shiraz and Ahvaz closed their stores on Tuesday, joining strike action as protests linked to Iran’s economic crisis continued for a third day, according to videos received by Iran International.

Footage sent by citizens showed merchants in Shiraz shutting shops and halting business during normal trading hours.

Separate videos received by Iran International showed traders in Ahvaz’s main market also closing their stores and joining the strike.