A searing summer of institutional failure has pushed the Iranian people to a boiling point, with crippling power and water outages sparking a new, defiant wave of nationwide protests. What began as demonstrations over the regime’s gross mismanagement of basic utilities has rapidly escalated into a direct political challenge to the clerical dictatorship, with chants of “Freedom” and “Death to Khamenei” echoing from Shiraz to Tehran.
The latest flashpoint erupted on the evening of Thursday, August 21, 2025, when thousands of enraged citizens in Shiraz poured into the streets, gathering in front of the Fars Governor’s Office. Their slogans cut through the darkness of the blackouts, targeting not just the immediate crisis but the root cause: the regime itself. Cries of “Freedom, Freedom, Freedom,” and “Iranians will die, but will not accept humiliation,” mingled with the powerful, unifying melody of the national anthem, “O Iran, O Precious Homeland,” sung in unison by the massive crowd.
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Shiraz, August 21
Locals protest frequent electricity blackouts, chanting anti-regime slogans like "Iranians give their lives but do not live in shame," "Iran speak out, demand your rights," "Azadi (Freedom)," and "Not Gaza, nor Lebanon, my life only for… pic.twitter.com/kEzLoPV6mF— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) August 21, 2025
A Broadening Front of Dissent
The righteous anger seen in Shiraz is not an isolated event but a reflection of a nationwide crisis. On the same night, the people of Kazerun took to the streets, with women taking a prominent, leading role in the demonstrations against the incessant water and electricity cuts. Their unified chant, “Water, electricity, our undeniable right!” was paired with a stern warning to authorities that future gatherings would be far larger if the situation is not resolved. Meanwhile, in Isfahan, farmers held their own protest rally in front of the regional water office, decrying the mismanagement that has devastated their livelihoods.
These protests are part of a wider, ongoing movement. In the capital, Tehran, defiant citizens have taken to chanting anti-regime slogans from their rooftops at night, with cries of “Death to Khamenei” reported on August 21. Similar protests have been reported in recent days in a growing list of cities, including Kermanshah, Arak, Saveh, Kashan, Karaj, Zahedan, and Eslamshahr, demonstrating the national scope of the people’s discontent.
August 21—Tehran, Iran
Locals hold protests and chant "Down with Khamenei!" as the regime refrains from addressing the prolonged electricity outages that have brought life to a halt.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/SuDlXHjkqc— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 22, 2025
From Hardship to Uprising: The Slogans Tell the Story
The evolution of the protesters’ slogans reveals a clear shift from demanding basic services to demanding fundamental regime change. While the initial trigger was the failure to provide electricity and water, the people’s chants quickly identified the source of their misery.
In Shiraz and Kermanshah, as in Tehran, the ultimate political target was named in the slogan, “Death to Khamenei.” Furthermore, protesters in Shiraz unequivocally rejected the regime’s costly and expansionist foreign policy by chanting, “Neither Gaza, nor Lebanon, my life for Iran.” This slogan has become a hallmark of popular uprisings, expressing the people’s desire for national resources to be invested at home, not squandered on foreign proxies. This blend of economic grievance and political demand demonstrates a sophisticated understanding among the populace that their suffering is a direct result of the regime’s corrupt priorities.
August 21—Kazerun, southern Iran
Locals protest prolonged electricity and water outages and the regime's lack of action.
"Water and electricity are our inalienable right!" protesters chant.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/bkCtMhv3yB— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 22, 2025
Echoes of Past Uprisings
The recent uprising in Shiraz is freighted with historical significance, evoking the city’s leading role in the major nationwide protests of November 2019. Then, as now, the people of Shiraz were among the first to rise up against the regime’s corruption and oppression. The regime responded with a bloody crackdown, but today’s events prove that the spirit of resistance was never extinguished. The same city is once again a stage for the expression of the people’s accumulated anger, proving that brutal suppression has failed to secure the regime’s hold on power.
In response to these courageous protests, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, saluted the brave people of Shiraz. She stated: “As long as this criminal and plundering regime is in power, neither water nor electricity nor other basic necessities of the people will be secured. Freedom is the key to solving all of Iran’s problems. The people of Iran will not rest until they are free from the tyranny of execution, looting, and massacres, and achieve freedom.”
Salute to the brave people of Shiraz who took to the streets, chanting “Freedom, Freedom, Freedom” in protest against unbearable power outages. They shouted: “Iranians may die, but will never accept humiliation!” and “Rise up, shout for your rights!”before joining together in… pic.twitter.com/8Ot0AvleHp
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) August 22, 2025
Her words encapsulate the reality on the ground. The protests spreading across Iran are no longer merely about failing infrastructure; they are a powerful indictment of a failed system. The Iranian people have made it clear they understand that flickering lights and dry taps are symptoms of a deep-rooted political disease. Their prescription, chanted bravely in the streets, is the complete removal of the ruling theocracy and the establishment of a free and democratic republic.