Tag Archives: iran protests 2026

The Cry of a British-Iranian Lib Dem Woman

By Sahar Irani | Tue 10th March 2026 - 8:37 am

“I’ll call you once I get changed,” I told my sister. “Got absolutely soaked.” She said she was sorry I’d got cold and wet. “It was water, not bullets,” I replied. She cried.

That afternoon in Munich, I had joined over one million Iranians and their supporters worldwide to remember the tens of thousands massacred by the Islamic Republic on 8 and 9 January this year. Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi had called on all who stand with Iranians to come together on a Global Action Day for Iran on Valentine’s Day, which also fell on the 40th day after the massacre. In Iranian culture, the 40th day after a death is a solemn threshold, when family and friends gather to mourn. This time, Iranians danced in defiance, sang instead of weeping, and told each other that freedom is closer than it has ever been.

In Munich alone, police estimated that 250,000 people had gathered to demand the fall of the regime. The following Monday, Iranian lawmaker Javad Hosseinikia called on the Foreign Ministry to expel Germany’s ambassador in Tehran in retaliation. The regime’s fury only confirmed that these demonstrations are working.

Posted in Op-eds | Also tagged iran and Middle East conflict 2026 | 6 Comments

Why Iran’s protesters matter for peace in the Middle East

By Gavin Stollar | Sat 17th January 2026 - 2:35 pm

Across Iran, brave men and women are once again risking their freedom – and their lives – to protest against one of the most repressive regimes in the world. Their demands are clear and unambiguous: basic liberty, accountability, and an end to rule by fear. These aspirations should resonate deeply with liberals everywhere. They also have far-reaching implications beyond Iran’s borders, including for the prospects of peace in the Middle East.

The Islamic Republic of Iran is not simply a domestic authoritarian state. It is a dangerous and insidious Islamist actor whose ideology and actions have destabilised the region for decades. The protesters on Iran’s streets understand that their struggle is not only about social or economic grievances, but about ending a system that represses its own people while exporting extremism abroad.

A fundamental change in Iran would be transformative for regional stability. Tehran has consistently worked to undermine any realistic prospect of peace between Israelis and Palestinians, not out of concern for Palestinian welfare, but because reconciliation would weaken its influence. Through sustained financial, military and ideological support for Hamas, Hezbollah and the Houthis, Iran has fuelled conflict, entrenched rejectionism and prolonged violence.

The removal of this malign influence would not in itself resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, but it would eliminate one of its most determined spoilers. Without Iranian backing, armed groups dedicated to perpetual conflict would be significantly weakened, and the political space for dialogue, compromise and co-existence would expand. A Middle East less shaped by Tehran’s revolutionary agenda would be one with greater opportunity for peace.