The West loves quick conclusions. When the screens in Times Square stop showing daylight images of crowds flooding the streets of Tehran, commentators rush to declare the revolution dead. “The regime survived,” they say. “Order has been restored.” But they are looking at the macro picture and completely missing the micro reality. If you think calm has returned to Iran, you should know this fire is far from extinguished.
Applause for the slain protesters
(Footage: Social media)
The black screen illusion
The Iranian regime has successfully carried out a digital deception. It shut down the internet, which according to NetBlocks data as of yesterday remains at near-zero connectivity, blocked social media platforms and built a firewall designed to keep the outside world blind. When there are no viral TikTok videos, the West assumes the protests have vanished. In reality, the uprising has simply changed form. It has turned into a war of attrition carried out at night, more calculated, more violent and more desperate.
Iran’s young people, a Generation Z unwilling to sell its future to the ayatollahs, are no longer waiting for validation from abroad. Every night, under cover of darkness, they take to the streets. This is no longer about placards and chants. It is urban guerrilla warfare.
Burning government buildings
(Footage: Social media)
Raising the monarchist Iranian flag
(Footage: Social media)
Just days ago, a branch of Etka, the supermarket chain owned by the Revolutionary Guards, was set on fire. This was not vandalism. It was a direct strike at the regime’s finances and authority. At the same time, the burning of mosques, once an absolute taboo, has become a symbol of resistance to religious coercion. Protesters are no longer fleeing militias. They are confronting them face to face. Those who stay inside their homes are not silent either. In cities such as Tehran, Mashhad and Shiraz, a chilling nightly ritual unfolds. Thousands step onto their balconies and scream “Death to Khamenei.” The neighborhood answers back in echo, a chorus of collective rage that no internet blackout can silence. This is psychological warfare against a regime that understands it has already lost control, even inside people’s homes.
Breaking through the blackout
In recent days, the movement received a jolt of adrenaline. An unidentified actor, and one can only guess who possesses such technological capabilities, hijacked state television broadcasts. Instead of routine propaganda, protest videos appeared, along with a speech by Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi. Despite heavy restrictions, Iran’s internal networks filled with footage of citizens filming their television screens as they shouted with joy. These videos have made their way out through indirect channels, proving the spirit of resistance has not been broken.
The hijacking of Iran’s state television broadcasts
(Footage: Social media)
Do not confuse silence with surrender. Iran’s Generation Z has crossed the point of no return. They have learned to operate below the radar, to strike where it hurts and, most importantly, they have lost their fear. The West may be dozing, but in Iran, the night is only the beginning.
In the face of the international community’s shameful silence, Iran’s young people need to know they are not alone. They need to know that the world, even if not its institutions, sees them. This is the moment to be their voice. Share and amplify. Do not let algorithms bury the videos emerging from Iran. Every share is a crack in the wall the regime is trying to build. Record messages of support. A short video offering encouragement can reach Iranian eyes and fuel another night of resistance.
Engage on foreign platforms. Do not leave the comment sections of the BBC, CNN or the posts of selectively outraged “human rights” activists empty. Flood them with facts, with the names of detainees and with the truth of what is happening in the streets. They are fighting for their lives against batons and bullets wielded by a murderous regime that stops at nothing. The least we can do is fight for awareness.
Silence is not an option.
First published: 18:11, 01.22.26