From Water Shortages to Anti-Execution Rallies, Iranians Protest Regime’s Total Failure

Staff WriterAugust 6, 2025
From Water Shortages to Anti-Execution Rallies, Iranians Protest Regime’s Total Failure
Families of political prisoners sentenced to death held a gathering demanding the cancellation of the execution sentences, Tuesday, August 5

Families of political prisoners sentenced to death held a gathering demanding the cancellation of the execution sentences, Tuesday, August 5
Written by
Mansoureh Galestan

Ongoing protests across Iran are exposing the clerical regime’s profound inability to govern. On August 5, 2025, from small, parched villages to major urban centers, Iranians took to the streets, their grievances converging into a powerful indictment of a system defined by incompetence, corruption, and brutality. The protests reveal that the recent installation of Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration has done nothing to alleviate the deep-rooted crises orchestrated by the theocracy under Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The Collapse of Basic Services
The regime’s failure to provide the most essential services has pushed citizens to their breaking point. In a heart-wrenching scene in the village of Badengan in Dena, children led a protest, their small voices chanting, “We have a protest, we need water!” Their demonstration against the lack of drinking water in the blistering summer heat is a stark symbol of the regime’s abandonment of its people.

This crisis is not isolated. In Lahijan, residents gathered in fury outside the local electricity department following sudden and widespread power outages that have paralyzed daily life. Meanwhile, citizens in Abbasabad expressed their despair at the dire living conditions, declaring their region feels like an “ownerless country” where no official is held accountable.

Economic Paralysis and Official Deceit
In Tehran, the economic mismanagement of the regime was on full display as truck drivers continued their protest for the fourth consecutive day. Gathered outside the Ministry of Industry, they demanded the release of imported trucks that have been stuck in customs for months, a delay causing them severe financial losses.

In a stunning admission of bureaucratic failure, the regime’s Trade Promotion Organization released a statement acknowledging the crisis. However, it cynically attempted to shift blame onto the importers and drivers themselves for purchasing vehicles before securing permits. While conceding that a legal resolution is being reviewed, the statement confirms that thousands of drivers who paid for their vehicles are trapped in a legal limbo created by the regime’s own ineptitude, with no immediate solution.

State Terror Meets Nationwide Defiance
As the regime fails to meet basic needs, it increasingly relies on brutal repression to maintain control. Yet, the Iranian people are responding with organized and courageous defiance. August 5 marked the 80th week of the “No to Executions Tuesdays” campaign in 48 prisons across the country. At the same time, people showed solidarity with the campaign with protest movements in several cities, including Mashhad, Sanandaj, Rasht, Lahijan, and Tehran.

Protesters held placards with powerful slogans that have become the voice of the resistance: “Down with the executioner government,” and “We will stand to the end, I swear on the blood of our comrades.” Their most direct challenge to the regime was the chant: “This is the last message, if you execute, there will be an uprising!” In Rasht and Lahijan, demonstrators held memorials for recently executed political prisoners Mehdi Hassani and Behrouz Ehsani, while the families of other prisoners on death row bravely stood at the forefront, demanding an end to the state-sanctioned killings.

Regime’s Panic Response: Mass Arrests to Crush Dissent
Faced with growing popular anger, the regime has unleashed a new wave of suppression. Security forces announced the arrest of 2,129 people in Tehran under the familiar pretext of cracking down on “thugs and villains.” This sweeping operation is a transparent attempt to instill fear in the public and preempt further uprisings. IRGC officer Faiz Jafari, a public security commander, confirmed the crackdown, claiming 196 people were “neutralized” for resisting and that weapons were seized. The regime consistently uses such labels and claims to justify the arbitrary arrest of political activists and protesters. This coordinated campaign, amplified by state media, reveals the theocracy’s deep-seated fear of its own people and its reliance on brute force as its only answer to a nation demanding change.

The protests sweeping Iran are not isolated incidents of discontent. They are the interconnected symptoms of a dying regime. The child’s plea for water in Dena, the trucker’s stand against corruption in Tehran, the nationwide roar against executions, and the mass arrests in the capital are all part of a single, unified popular uprising. The Iranian people are demonstrating that they see past the regime’s hollow promises and administrative shuffles. Their collective actions make it clear that the problem is not a single policy but the entire illegitimate theocracy.

Staff WriterAugust 6, 2025
Arab-Islamic Committee in Defence of Ashraf
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