As Israeli airstrikes hit key facilities of Iran’s nuclear program, something is beginning to stir inside the Islamic Republic as well. Pressure is mounting not only internationally – within the population, there are the first visible signs of resistance despite repression. Footage from Tehran schools shows young girls removing their hijabs, symbolically taking over their schools, and chanting slogans such as “Death to the dictator and the Islamic regime.” These scenes are part of a younger protest movement that has for years pushed back against the oppression of women and the authoritarian structures of the Islamic Republic.
At the same time, images from abroad are surfacing showing Iranian exiles openly celebrating the Israeli strikes. Many see in them the possibility of a historic turning point – the end of the mullahs’ rule, a free Iran – and in some circles even the return of a secular monarch. This hope, however, is not without controversy. While conservative exile groups dream of a “roll back,” young activists are more likely to call for a democratic reordering, far from any return to authoritarian pasts – whether religious or royal in nature.
The events in the Middle East are thus taking on a new dimension. They are not only about geopolitical alliances and military strategy – they touch deep-rooted social conflicts within Iran itself. Between bomb craters, sanctions, and digital protest, a struggle is unfolding over future, identity, and freedom – and over the question of who will govern Iran tomorrow. The world watches diplomats, generals, and presidents. But perhaps the most important voices are those of the girls removing their headscarves and saying out loud, for the first time, what has been forbidden for decades.
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