Millions of Iranians rally to defend sovereignty

by AZADEH AKBAR
Special contributor
TEHRAN, (CAJ News) — FORM elderly pensioners leaning on canes to university students waving national flags, millions of Iranians filled streets and public squares across the country this week with a single message: “Iran will not surrender its future to foreign-engineered unrest.”

In Tehran’s Enghelab Square, 62-year-old retired teacher Hossein Rahimi stood among a sea of demonstrators chanting for national unity.

“I watched Iraq collapse on television. I saw Libya destroyed,” he said. “They told those people regime change would bring prosperity. Instead, it brought graves, hunger, and militias. We will not repeat that mistake.”

Similar sentiments echoed nationwide as rallies spread through Mashhad, Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Qom, Ahvaz, and dozens of smaller cities.

Protesters described their presence not as blind loyalty, but as a conscious rejection of chaos and foreign interference.

“We are not naïve,” said Maryam Karimi, a 27-year-old engineering student in Isfahan.

“Western media wants the world to think Iranians hate their country and leadership. If that were true, why are millions of us here?”

Despite the scale of the demonstrations, international mainstream media outlets offered little coverage. Many Iranians noticed — and resented — the silence.

On social media, user Harbinger Hary wrote: “Persians aren’t naive. We’ve seen this pattern before — foreign intelligence interference dressed up as ‘liberation.’ Libya stands as a warning. Some nations still remember history.”

Another user, Anoush Iravani, posted: “Iranians from all walks of life have taken to the streets to denounce foreign-backed riots. The people have spoken. The humiliation of the regime-change agenda is complete.”

For many participants, the rallies were deeply personal. Fatemeh Alizadeh, a mother of three in Qom, said she joined after watching footage of mosques and public buildings burned during recent unrest.

“Who burns their own house of worship?” she asked. “This is not protest. This is sabotage. And ordinary people pay the price.”

Iranian authorities echoed these concerns.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, in remarks broadcast by state media, praised citizens for their “clarity and vigilance,” saying the nation had once again “distinguished between reform and destruction.”

President Masoud Pezeshkian commended the public for defending stability, noting that “true change comes through participation, not arson or foreign dictates.”

Older Iranians were particularly vocal, warning younger generations about the consequences of externally driven uprisings.

Mohammad Reza Tavakoli, 71, recalled cheering crowds in Baghdad and Tripoli years ago. “Those people were promised dignity,” he said. “Today they have unemployment, insecurity, and mass graves. Where are the foreign saviuors now?”

The examples were frequently cited: Libya, once Africa’s wealthiest state, fractured into militia rule after NATO intervention; Iraq, devastated by invasion, sectarian violence, and economic collapse; Syria, torn apart by proxy war and sanctions; and Afghanistan, left impoverished and traumatized after decades of foreign interference.

Online, Sarah Sahouraxo asked: “Millions of Iranians are pouring into the streets to reject Mossad-CIA-backed riots and U.S.–Israeli aggression. Ask yourself why this isn’t headline news everywhere.”

Others were more direct. Mike Webster wrote: “The reason this isn’t headline news is simple — it’s a CIA/Mossad failure. Best to pretend it didn’t happen.”

Salman Shaikh added: “When millions oppose U.S.–Israeli aggression and it’s ignored, while every anti-Iran narrative is amplified, it’s clear this isn’t journalism — it’s propaganda.”

Calls for accountability also emerged. Sam Zherka urged authorities to act against those who destroyed religious and public property, while Abdallah Forbes warned Iranians not to be “blackmailed into toppling their government the way Iraqis and Libyans were manipulated.”

For many, the rallies were not about denying problems but protecting the nation from irreversible collapse.

“We argue, we criticize, we vote,” said Reza Mahdavi, a shop owner in Tabriz. “But we don’t invite foreign powers to burn our future.”

As the crowds dispersed peacefully, one message remained unmistakable: whatever challenges Iran faces, millions of its people insist those challenges must be resolved by Iranians themselves — not by foreign agendas that have already devastated entire nations.

— CAJ News