Where Does Iran Go From Here? Tracing the Past and Future of Resistance in Iran
Prior to the U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and the Georgetown University Iranian Cultural Society convened a panel discussion on February 11th to reflect on the escalating protests, violent government crackdowns, and to discuss Iran’s future. Drawing on Iran’s long history of resistance, panelists discussed how women-led movements such as Women, Life, Freedom, as well as other protests, have propelled the country into its current political moment, the vital role journalists play in reporting human rights abuses, and the international community’s response to the unrest.
Moderated by Kambiz Tavana, Multimedia Journalist at Iran International, the discussion featured Gissou Nia, Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council; Nazenin Ansari, Managing Editor of Kayhan London and Kayhan Life; Shahin Milani, Director of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center; and Khosro Isfahani, Research Director of the National Union for Democracy in Iran. They provided a sobering assessment of the current situation in Iran and offered their views of what must come next.
Brutality and the Silenced Voices of the Iranian People
The panelists reflected on the unprecedented use of force and crackdowns on protestors in Iran – nothing less than a massacre -, which constitutes a major escalation in violence from the regime’s previous response to protests.
“It is the largest killing of Iranians in centuries, […] [it’s] not something that we’ve seen in our lifetimes,” said Shahin Milani.
To understand the severity of these crackdowns, each panelist brought a distinct perspective to this reality. Ansari emphasized the extreme scale of enforced disappearances in Iran, reaching levels similar to those in recent memory in Syria, or in Argentina and Chile during military dictatorships decades ago. Gissou Nia drew attention to the deliberate individualized killings being carried out by Iranian state security forces. Milani drew on his organization’s documentation work and estimated at least 10,000 dead at the time of the event, while cautioning that communication blackouts have left counts from smaller towns unverified. Khosoro Isfahani described the horror from watching hours and hours of protest footage, comparing faces to ID cards, to confirm the identities of the dead. Yet, with the internet blackouts, Western media have not captured the unprecedented scale and brutality of the regime.
Panelists argued the regime’s reliance on overwhelming force reflects both its capacity for repression and its deep insecurity. Rather than extinguishing dissent, panelists argued, violence has further alienated large segments of the population and eroded the regime’s legitimacy. The regime’s strategy has not simply been to suppress protests, but to suppress articulation. Mass arrests, intimidation campaigns, internet blackouts, and violent reprisals have created conditions that make openly organizing political platforms nearly impossible. The panelists noted that under such circumstances, the absence of detailed policy proposals from within Iran should not be mistaken for a lack of vision. Rather, it reflects the constraints imposed by authoritarian control.
Leadership and Legitimacy
Who should lead Iran’s political future? While Iran’s resistance movement has been largely decentralized–driven by students, women’s groups, labor unions, and grassroots networks–certain figures have gained notable support among Iranians inside the country. Panelists underscored a key shift in the movement toward a unified stance: a transition to free and fair elections and pluralistic politics.
Panelists noted that some Iranians were chanting the name of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the deposed Shah, calling for him to play a role in a transitional government. Other speakers noted that the Iranian protest movement involves a broad coalition of people with diverse political viewpoints, ages, and visions for Iran’s future, all of whom have had limited opportunities to share their collective vision for the governance of their country, yet an increasing consensus is visible. Notably, in 2023, women and labor groups laid out a manifesto defining principles and priorities for the country’s political future.
Panelists emphasized the importance of this moment of growing visibility for a shared vision, and the need to enable Iranians to indicate their preferences for what a transition could look like—one that draws on, rather than silences, the views of the Iranian people.
Women Leading Resistance
Understanding the trajectories of the calls for freedom in Iran requires recognizing the tireless advocacy of Iranian women, despite the threats and violence they face. What began in 2022 following the death of Mahsa Amini, under the banner of the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement (inscribed in Shervin Hajipour’s song Barayé, which calls for “Women, Life, Freedom” as well as “Man, Homeland Prosperity”), galvanized not only by women but men, youth, labor groups, and diverse communities across the country into a nationwide rejection of the Islamic Republic. Women removing hijabs in public, leading chants, and organizing networks have directly challenged both the regime’s authority and long-standing norms of fear and silence.
Gissou Nia framed the protests as a collective demand for dignity and systemic change. “It will be very important to note that there are different ways that authorities will deal with women versus men.”
Women experience intimidation, detention, and abuse in distinct ways, often facing sexual violence, targeted harassment, and threats against their families as tools of control. Understanding these dynamics, she argued, is essential for future accountability efforts and legal processes. Without a gender lens, atrocities risk being partially recorded, and survivors’ experiences erased. Nia noted this has global relevance: gendered violence is a consistent feature of atrocity crimes across different contexts. Without a gender lens, survivors’ experiences risk being erased from the historical record and are not centered in the judicial process.
Ultimately, panelists reinforced the fact that the courage, visibility, and sustained organization of women transformed individual acts of defiance into a mass political force. A force that continues to challenge the legitimacy of the regime and redefine the future of Iran’s resistance.
Technology as a Lifeline for Resistance and A Movement Defined by Courage
Technology has played a central role in sustaining Iran’s protest movement amid the regime’s escalating repression—a dynamic that first became visible during the Women, Life, Freedom Movement, when women used social media platforms to mobilize protests, share evidence of abuse, and draw global attention to state violence. Yet, as digital tools amplified women’s voices, the regime simultaneously transformed technology into a mechanism of control. Internet shutdowns, digital surveillance, facial recognition, and censorship have since evolved into weapons used to isolate communities, identify activists, and prevent documentation.
Isfahani and Milani discussed how blackouts obstruct international human rights monitoring, allowing violence to occur beyond global attention. When images and videos cannot get out, attention from governments and the media shifts toward negotiations on nuclear arms and geopolitical considerations, rather than the human cost of what is happening on the ground. Isfahani was specific about where he sees the potential to counter this.
“Almost every modern cell phone can turn into a device for breaking that blockade,” said Khosoro Isfahani, pointing to the potential of Starlink and direct-to-cell satellite connectivity to provide resilient channels during government-imposed shutdowns.
Yet, Milani was clear that technology alone does not drive resistance; people do. Digital participation carries immense personal risk, and it is the bravery of ordinary citizens that sustains momentum. Documentation, such as preserving videos and testimonies, is necessary for future accountability; without it, perpetrators are shielded, and the truth is at risk of erasure. The movement unfolding in Iran is therefore defined by an extraordinary courage; proof that under the most restrictive conditions, individuals will continue to document the truth, demand justice, and fight for political freedom.
A Turning Point for Iran’s Future
The Iranian people are no longer merely protesting their conditions; they are demanding the end of the regime itself. Unlike previous waves of unrest, this moment marks growing unity around political transition, informed by decades of resistance and shaped by the leadership of women. The Women, Life, Freedom Movement and other movements were the result of tireless collective advocacy and the willingness of ordinary citizens to challenge repression despite immense personal risk. The panelists emphasized that while this movement is rooted within Iran, its survival depends in part on global attention. Supporting the Iranian people means helping to amplify their voices when the regime seeks to silence them. Iran stands at a critical crossroads, and the responsibility of the international community is not to dictate its outcome, but to ensure that Iranians’ demands for dignity and freedom are neither ignored nor overshadowed.
Explore More
Women’s Empowerment Takes a Back Seat as Philippines Peace Process Unravels
It has been a grim decade for the UN Security Council’s “Women,…
Gendered Risks in Lebanon
Lebanon is facing a convergence of security, political, and humanitarian pressures—and women…