As Iran marks the sixth anniversary of the great November 2019 uprising, which shook the foundations of the bloodthirsty religious tyranny, the nation’s rebellious youth are sending a clear message: the spirit of that uprising is alive and stronger than ever. In their fourth major campaign marking the anniversary, these brave activists carried out 24 fiery, repression-breaking operations in cities across the country, targeting the regime’s centers of suppression and symbols of its corrupt rule.
Some of these operations were carried out in memory of Ahmad Baledi, a 20-year-old student from Ahvaz whose tragic death has become a new symbol of the regime’s brutal oppression. On November 2, regime agents violently destroyed his family’s legally-operated food kiosk, their only source of income. When Ahmad protested and warned that he would set himself on fire, an officer taunted him to set himself on fire. Ahmad self-immolated as a last way to have his voice and protest heard. He eventually succumbed to his injuries on November 11. His desperate act of protest has ignited a wave of public fury, exposing the systematic cruelty that pushes ordinary citizens to the brink and turning his name into a rallying cry for justice.
In this series of daring operations, the heroic rebellious youth struck at the heart of the mullahs’ apparatus of crime and plunder:
- Tehran: Multiple operations, including three incendiary attacks against regime buildings commemorating Ahmad Baledi; attacks against the Khomeini Committee, a corrupt foundation controlled by the supreme leader; an attack on a center of fundamentalism; and setting fire to three IRGC Basij bases, one explicitly in memory of the 1,500 protesters killed during the November 2019 uprising. A banner of killed regime commanders was also torched.
- Arak: Three incendiary attacks against regime buildings responsible for torture and executions.
- Mashhad: Three incendiary attacks against regime institutions for fundamentalism and terrorism, and setting fire to an IRGC Basij base.
- Mahshahr: Attacking an IRGC Basij base in revenge for the killing of Ahmad Baledi.
- Urmia: Incendiary attacks against the plundering Khomeini Committee.
- Jiroft: Attacking a regime building in memory of Ahmad Baledi.
- Birjand: Setting fire to a Basij base tasked with suppressing farmers.
- Setting fire to IRGC Basij bases in Karaj, Varamin, Shahin Shahr, and Bam.
- Delijan: Setting fire to a billboard of supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
- Izeh: Setting fire to a monument of Qassem Soleimani, the regime’s former terror mastermind.
- Iranshahr: Setting fire to a regime propaganda billboard.
This fourth campaign follows three previous waves of operations on November 2, 8, and 14, where rebellious youth struck at regime targets in dozens of cities, from Mahshahr and Tehran to Rasht and Hamedan. These successive campaigns demonstrate that the fire of the November uprising continues to burn brightly, giving no respite to the clerical dictatorship.
The November 2019 uprising was a turning point for Iran. Triggered by a sudden gasoline price hike, protests erupted in over 190 cities, quickly transforming into a nationwide call for regime change. Slogans of “Death to Khamenei” echoed through the streets as Iranians, fed up with 40 years of corruption and oppression, targeted symbols of the regime’s power. Terrified by the scale and intensity of the protests, supreme leader Ali Khamenei gave a direct order to his forces: “Do whatever it takes to end it.” This unleashed a massacre of unprecedented brutality. The IRGC used heavy machine guns, snipers, and even helicopters to gun down at least 1,500 unarmed protesters, while a near-total internet blackout was imposed to hide the crimes from the world.
Today, terrified of another popular explosion, the regime has intensified its campaign of terror and execution to an alarming degree. In October 2025 alone, the regime’s henchmen hanged at least 285 prisoners, a record of brutality in the 21st century. This brings the total number of executions in the first ten months of 2025 to around 1,500. By creating an atmosphere of fear, the regime desperately hopes to prevent the eruption of public anger.
But the defiant activities of the rebellious youth prove that this strategy is failing. By striking at the very centers of repression and corruption, they show that the spirit of resistance cannot be extinguished by the gallows. The memory of the 1,500 martyrs of the November 2019 uprising lives on in the hearts of these brave youths, fueling their determination to achieve freedom. Their message is clear: the fire that was lit in November 2019 will not be put out, and they will not relent in their fight to overthrow the religious tyranny and establish a free and democratic Iran.