Geopolitical Interests Over Human Rights: The Case of Iran

In December 2025, Iran’s currency officially hit a record low (Amwaj.media, 2025). Protests in Tehran quickly erupted thereafter and were led by merchants in the capital’s grand bazaar, the backbone of Iran’s economy. What first began as economic protests quickly turned into a nationwide uprising against the government. Protests continued into January and February of 2026 and had the largest turnout since the large-scale uprisings such as the Woman, Life, Freedom 2022 and the Green Movement of 2009 (Britannica Editors, n.d.).

It was also one of the most devastating in Iran’s modern history, with the government quickly shutting down the internet to prevent footage and information from being spread (Amnesty International, 2026b).

Iran Human Rights (2026a) reported at least 19 deaths in the first week, while TIME reported that the death toll could have reached as high as 30,000 and noted that Human Rights Activists News Agency had confirmed 5,459 deaths and was investigating 17,031 more (Serjoie et al., 2026).

It is difficult to know the exact number due to the internet blackout and forced disappearances of dissenters. The estimate comes from investigations conducted by reputable human rights organizations such as Human Rights Activist News Agency (HRANA) and testimonies from doctors in Iran who were able to bypass the internet shutdown (HRANA, 2026a; Serjoie et al., 2026).

Based on my observations of online activist spaces, a few patterns stood out. Many Iranians in the diaspora expressed a sense of obligation to speak up and spread awareness about the protests. As the news of the protests began spreading internationally, many in the Iranian community expressed frustration over what they perceived as a lack of support. The death toll was constantly scrutinized, Iranians' lived experiences that were questioned, minimized, or dismissed as Western propaganda. In online discourse, the Iranian diaspora was often stereotyped as out of touch, Western-adjacent, and biased. Some activist spaces viewed showing support for Iran’s protests as a sign of ideological alignment with the United States and Israel.

The Islamic Republic has positioned itself as an actor resisting Western imperialism, justifying its military actions and support for proxy groups as defense of the oppressed (Doron, 2025). This framing has shaped its external perception within certain ideological circles.

Western actors have often operated in the Middle East without significant consequences. Seeing an armed governing body, such as Iran, acting firmly against them, can be perceived as a form of justice.

This results in Iranian human rights issues being left largely unaddressed within certain ideological frameworks. When these concerns are acknowledged directly, the focus shifts back to Western powers and their sanctions on Iran. Iranian lives are prioritized, mainly in relation to sanctions and Western imperialism rather than state repression; this dynamic shows the intersection of ideology and selective empathy.

On February 28, 2026, Israel and the United States bombed Iran (Loft, 2026). The sentiment among Iranians inside and outside the country was mixed. A segment of Iranians supported the strikes, viewing them as a chance to end the regime (Ott, 2026; Negahdari, 2026). Others opposed it, arguing that no wars have ever brought about democracy and that it will negatively impact the fragile activist networks within the country, as seen in an argumentative piece written by Iranian dissident, Tarokh (2026).

According to my observations, others felt unsure of where they stood, since they did not support the idea of Western meddling, nor did they resonate with statements such as “freedom comes from within” circulating online after the protests.

On the same day the war began, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was killed in a drone strike (Bachega et al., 2026). Many Iranians across the world celebrated, as the figurehead of their repression had been killed.

In the online spaces, I observed that they were quickly framed as “being happy that their country was being bombed” with videos of celebrating Iranians circulating the internet, generating strong reactions from outside observers who were unfamiliar with the broader political context.

Drawing on my observations of online discourse about the war, some Iranian activists felt frustrated that individuals who had been largely silent or dismissive of the uprising in January were now expressing concern for Iranian lives. I also observed that speaking up for Iranians during the uprising and protests was viewed as ideological disloyalty, while speaking up for them in the context of American and Israeli strikes was safer and signaled ideological loyalty, which showcases a form of selectiveness. What matters is who committed the crime, not that the crime was committed. 

Iranians could now be used in their text posts, personal essays, and videos as an example in their critique of the West. Not as actual people, but as a footnote to prove their point.

A group of protestors holding Lion and Sun (Shir o Khorshid) flag. Photo by Tianlei Wu on Unsplash

On the other hand, some who were outspoken during the protests were criticized for remaining silent about or disputing reports about the impact the war had on civilians. HRANA (2026a), a widely cited source when it comes to conflicts in Iran, has stated that in an estimated 1,701 civilians lost their lives, and civilian infrastructure was destroyed. Moreover, according to Ito (2026) in a UNHCR press release, 3.2 million people were displaced. In some activist spaces online, those who spoke out against the war were accused of supporting the Islamic Republic or of standing in the way of an opportunity to rid the country of the regime.

A clear-cut example of how ideology impacts empathy is the attack on Shajareh Tayyebeh Girls’ Elementary School in Minab that took place on the first day of the war. Amnesty International (2026) reported that 156 civilians were killed, including 120 school children. While families were mourning, political pundits and activists were quick to argue and assign responsibility to the side they opposed before the facts had come out.

One side attributed the incident to the Islamic Republic, claiming they had a military base near the school (Merlyn et al., 2026). Their source was an unverified Telegram channel, which suggested a misfired missile struck the school (Ramirez Uribe, 2026).

After Amnesty International (2026) reported that the U.S. officially took responsibility for the strike, the event was regarded as a tragic mistake. Meanwhile, in my observation, some individuals who had previously been silent or less vocal about the violence inflicted on Iranian civilians during the protests utilized the attack to levy criticism against Iranian activists speaking out against the regime. Advocacy against the regime is an automatic support of military intervention. Ultimately, the attack on the school children in Minab only mattered in the context of assigning blame for what had happened to them.

What has become common in activist spaces is that ideological alignment overrides human lives. Iranian politics cannot be simplified and reduced to “West vs. East” narratives while leaving serious domestic issues unaddressed.

Single-focus frameworks risk dehumanizing individuals in the global south and assigning worthiness to their plight in ideologically aligned contexts. Erasing those who have risked and lost their lives in international conflicts or as a result of domestic oppression.

It also operates under the assumption that Iranians on the ground do not have their own grievances and experiences that lead them to be against their government, thereby dismissing their agency.

References

1. Amnesty International. (2026, January 26). What happened at the protests in Iran? https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2026/01/what-happened-at-the-protests-in-iran/

2. Amnesty International. (2026, March 16). USA/Iran: Those responsible for deadly and unlawful US strike on school that killed over 100 children must be held accountable. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/03/usa-iran-those-responsible-for-deadly-and-unlawful-us-strike-on-school-that-killed-over-100-children-must-be-held-accountable/

3. Amwaj.media. (2025, December 30). Deep dive: Currency crash sparks unrest as IRGC warns against ‘new sedition’. https://amwaj.media/en/article/deep-dive-currency-crash-sparks-unrest-as-irgc-warns-against-new-sedition

4. Bachega, H., Habibazad, G., Greenall, R., & McArthur, T. (2026, March 1). Iran’s leader Ali Khamenei killed in joint US Israeli strikes, Trump says. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c70n9wlkx3lo

5. Britannica. (n.d.). 2026 Iranian protests | Cause, events, leaders, crackdown, 12-day war, Trump, Islamic Revolution, Reza Pahlavi, Shah, & Israel. Retrieved May 6, 2026, from https://www.britannica.com/event/2026-Iranian-Protests

6. Doron, I. (2025, September 28). Iran’s statecraft: Shaping identity and cognitive framing amid societal cohesion challenges. ICT. https://ict.org.il/irans-statecraft-shaping-identity-and-cognitive-framing-amid-societal-cohesion-challenges/

7. Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). (2026, April 7). Day 39 of U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran: Extensive damage to the rail network and roads. https://www.en-hrana.org/day-39-of-u-s-and-israeli-attacks-on-iran-extensive-damage-to-the-rail-network-and-roads/

8. Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). (2026, February 23). The crimson winter: A 50-day record of Iran’s 2025–2026 nationwide protests. https://www.en-hrana.org/the-crimson-winter-a-50-day-record-of-irans-2025-2026-nationwide-protests/

9. Iran Human Rights. (2026, January 4). At least 19 killed in first week of Iran nationwide protests. https://iranhr.net/en/articles/8504/

10. Ito, A. (2026, March 12). UNHCR: Up to 3.2 million Iranians temporarily displaced in Iran as conflict intensifies. UNHCR. https://www.unhcr.org/news/press-releases/unhcr-3-2-million-iranians-temporarily-displaced-iran-conflict-intensifies

11. Loft, P. (2026). Israel/US-Iran conflict 2026: Background and UK response. UK Parliament Commons Library. https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-10521/ 

12. Merlyn, T., Sardarizadeh, S., & Metzler, B. (2026, March 5). Iran school and nearby military base struck multiple times, satellite image reveals. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c5yqqyly9n0o

13. Negahdari, S. (2026, March 12). Iran war: Doubts creep in for Iranians who had supported war. BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3094g50rnvo

14. Ott, H. (2026, March 25). Some Iranians who hoped war would bring positive change tell CBS News they now feel “doomed.” CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/iran-war-iranians-losing-hope-for-regime-change-now-hope-for-ceasefire/

15. Ramirez Uribe, M. (2026, March 2). Iran has not claimed responsibility for deadly strike on girls’ school, despite social media claims. PolitiFact. https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2026/mar/02/tweets/Iran-responsibility-Minab-school-strike-US-Israel/

16. Serjoie, K. A., Saberi, R., & Jamalpour, F. (2026, January 25). Iran protest death toll could top 30,000: Local officials. TIME. https://time.com/7357635/more-than-30000-killed-in-iran-say-senior-officials/

17. Tarokh, A. (n.d.). True support for Iranians means saying no to war. Antiwar.com. Retrieved May 21, 2026, https://original.antiwar.com/ali_tarokh/2026/02/25/true-support-for-iranians-means-saying-no-to-war/

Disclaimer 1

This piece draws on the columnist’s personal observations of unnamed online platforms and activist spaces. Where no source is cited, the reflections should be understood as observation-based interpretations rather than formal empirical findings.

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