Omid Habibinia reports [1] that nearly three weeks into an Iranian communications blackout, protesters are still signaling they are not backing down, even as the Islamic Republic keeps major cities under what the story describes as de facto martial law. With armored vehicles and heavily armed Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps units visible across Tehran and other urban areas, the article says the regime is trying to project control through force while underground and decentralized protest activity continues.
The story cites independent medical sources estimating that tens of thousands may have been killed during a short, brutal crackdown, while Iranian authorities have not released comprehensive casualty figures. It also describes a grim pattern of fear and improvisation under repression: families searching for missing relatives, wounded protesters allegedly avoiding hospitals, and mourning rituals turning into political flashpoints. In parallel, the article says images and messages are still leaking out despite the cutoff, showing rooftop chants at night, protest slogans at funerals, graffiti, and the burning of regime symbols.
Give the gift of hope
We practice what we preach:
accurate, fearless journalism. But we can't do it alone.
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
- On the ground in Gaza, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Pakistan, and more
- Our program trained more than 100 journalists
- Calling out fake news and reporting real facts
Join us.
Support The Media Line. Save democracy.
Habibinia also reports claims that orders for live fire were conveyed through Iran’s security decision-making apparatus, and that the Basij and IRGC have faced moments of street-level confrontation. The piece depicts a psychological strain on security forces, with signs of eroding morale among regime supporters reflected in online spaces once dominated by pro-government voices.
Threaded through the reporting is a sense that protest energy is adapting rather than disappearing: smaller actions, symbolic defiance, and calls for outside help, including references to President Donald Trump. The article ends with the warning that many protesters say the next return to the streets will not be a repeat of the last—suggesting a more dangerous phase ahead. Habibinia’s full report [1] lays out the claims, the atmosphere, and the stakes in stark detail.