Fresh anti-government protests in Iran entered a second consecutive day on Sunday, according to witnesses, with university students gathering in Tehran and Mashhad around memorials marking those killed in a violent crackdown on nationwide demonstrations about six weeks earlier.
Iran’s state news agency reported that demonstrations took place at five universities in the capital and one institution in Mashhad. The protests, which began Saturday, were linked to 40-day memorial ceremonies for people killed during anti-government rallies in January.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Preparing Succession Plan
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is reportedly preparing contingency plans amid escalating tensions with the Donald Trump administration, which has imposed a fresh deadline for nuclear negotiations with Tehran.
According to officials, Trump’s senior Middle East negotiators, special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner, are scheduled to meet Iranian representatives in Geneva this Thursday to discuss terms for a potential new nuclear agreement. However, Trump has indicated he is not ruling out strikes against Iran within the next 10 to 15 days if progress stalls.
Iran-US War: Tehran’s Response: “We Are Ready”
Senior Iranian official Ali Larijani, a national security figure and close adviser to Khamenei, told Al Jazeera that Iran has spent months strengthening its preparedness.
“We are definitely more powerful than before. We have prepared in the past seven, eight months. We found our weaknesses and fixed them. We are not looking for war, and we won’t start the war. But if they force it on us, we will respond.”
Meanwhile, Trump warned during the inaugural meeting of his Board of Peace that the United States could bomb Iran if a deal is not reached within 10 days. A regional official suggested such pressure could push Iranian negotiators out of talks for a “significant period.” If diplomacy collapses, the administration could consider strikes on regime facilities aimed at destabilising the leadership structure.
Although the US president has been “repeatedly presented” with such plans by senior aides, discussions inside the Oval Office have largely centred on broader military strategies.
Will US Attack Iran?
Resistance to further military action against Iran is also emerging in Washington, where lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns about legality. Republican Congressman Thomas Massie and Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna plan to introduce a War Powers Resolution in the United States House of Representatives this week, seeking to block strikes without congressional authorisation.
In contrast, Senator Lindsey Graham has voiced support for possible military intervention.
“I understand concerns about major military operations in the Middle East given past entanglements,” Graham told Axios.
“However, the voices who counsel against getting entangled seem to ignore the consequences of letting evil go unchecked.”
What Is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s Succession Plan?
Khamenei has reportedly established a four-layer succession framework for key military and government roles under his authority, according to The New York Times.
Domestically, Iran has also faced mounting unrest since the New Year. The government has attempted to limit citizens’ contact with the outside world by restricting internet and telephone services. Despite these measures, protesters have continued to transmit information abroad using satellite connectivity provided by Elon Musk’s Starlink system.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
