Iranian college students face pressure to stay quiet amid crackdown on dissent

Iranian college students are facing disciplinary hearings and potential expulsion for participating in anti-government protests, as authorities intensify a crackdown on dissent following the January 2026 protests and the war with the United States. The Associated Press spoke with half a dozen students who described intimidating panels that included a cleric representing the supreme leader and an unidentified official. Students face charges such as participating in an "illegal gathering," and some have had their identities published on pro-government social media channels, leading to death threats. At least 10 students have been expelled at the University of Tehran and another 10 at Amir Kabir University, according to a reformist newspaper. The disciplinary measures follow a wave of protests triggered by a currency crash in late December 2025, which grew into the largest nationwide demonstrations since the 1979 revolution. Security forces crushed those protests, killing thousands. The crackdown has continued even after the February 28 US-Israeli strikes that killed former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and triggered the war. Students describe the process as a "psychological war" aimed at forcing them to recant anti-government stances.