As the Iranian regime attempts to mark the 47th anniversary of the 1979 revolution on February 11, the atmosphere in Iran is not one of celebration for the ruling clerics, but of open rebellion. The streets of Iran have once again turned crimson, fueled by the blood of a galaxy of martyrs from the recent January 2026 uprising.
While the mullahs try to claim the legacy of the anti-monarchical revolution, the true spirit of that movement—the demand for freedom and the rejection of dictatorship—is alive only in the rebellious youth who are shaking the foundations of the theocracy today.
The recent uprising, which began in late December 2025 and extended into January 2026, has proven that the countdown to the clerical regime’s overthrow has begun. The spell of appeasement has been shattered, and the world can no longer ignore a resistance that has fought unceasingly for decades against two dictatorships: the Shah and the mullahs.
The stolen revolution of 1979
To understand the present, one must look at the truth of 1979. The revolution against the Shah was a genuine national movement driven by a desire for democracy and an end the corrupt rule of the shah dictatorship. Between 1971 and 1978, groups like the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and Fedayeen paved the way for this moment through immense sacrifice. However, the Shah’s secret police, SAVAK, had imprisoned the true leaders of the movement, including PMOI founders, until the final days of the monarchy.
This leadership vacuum allowed Ruhollah Khomeini to hijack the revolution. While the people demanded a democratic republic, Khomeini, who had deceptively promised freedom in the comfort of his headquarters in France, imposed the absolute rule of the clergy (Velayat-e Faqih) once in power. The goals of the 1979 revolution were freedom, independence, and social justice—ideals that Khomeini immediately betrayed by suppressing women through mandatory hijab and executing the very youth and revolutionaries who had paid the true price of the revolution.
January 2026: The spark that became a fire
However, while the mullahs have managed to rule with an iron fist, they have not managed to kill the spirit of the 1979 revolution. The continuity of this struggle was vividly demonstrated in the uprising that erupted on December 28, 2025. What began as an economic protest by bazaar shopkeepers in Tehran over the rial’s sharp plunge and inflation quickly transformed into a nationwide political movement.
As crowds grew, chants shifted from economic grievances to explicitly anti-regime slogans, signaling a rejection of the entire rule of the mullahs. The unrest spread geographically from Tehran to hundreds of locations across multiple provinces, and socially from merchants to university students and workers. The regime responded with brutal repression, murdering thousands of protesters. Yet, this heavy price has only solidified the people’s resolve.
Rejecting the Shah and the mullahs
Today, Iran stands at a critical juncture with similarities to the 1979 revolution. The main battle has two sides: the people and their organized resistance fighting for freedom on one side and the repressive clerical regime on the other. And like in 1979, a third party is trying to hijack the people’s sacrifices again: the remnants of the Shah’s dictatorship.
Slogans favoring the monarchy serve only to divide the protest movement and provide ammunition to Khamenei’s suppression machinery. The Iranian people, having experienced both the Shah’s SAVAK and the mullahs’ IRGC, have no desire to return to the past. Their unifying slogan remains: “Down with the oppressor, be it the Shah or the mullahs.” This slogan rejects all forms of dictatorship and affirms a future based on freedom and independence.
Also like the shah in 1979, the mullahs are trying to project power by organizing large pro-regime rallies on the anniversary of the revolution. But at the same time, the people continue their resistance with anti-regime chants.
A democratic republic: The only path forward
The main difference with the 1979 revolution is that this time, the Iranian people have an organized resistance movement on their side that is determined to prevent their revolution from being hijacked. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) has outlined a roadmap for a future Iran that is a democratic republic, respecting the separation of religion and state, gender equality, and the autonomy of nationalities.
The NCRI’s program calls for the formation of a Constituent Assembly within six months of the regime’s overthrow to draft a new constitution. This ensures that the sovereignty of the people, stolen in 1979, is finally restored.
The revolution of 1979 did not die; it has matured into a powerful resistance movement that will inevitably triumph.
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