Iran rallies continue

State media and state-linked outlets in Iran say pro-government street rallies have continued into a 43rd straight night, with gatherings presented as support for the armed forces during a still-fragile ceasefire after weeks of fighting with the United States and Israel. (aljazeera.com) (presstv.ir) Press Television reported on April 9 that people had rallied for a 41st consecutive night in a central square in Tehran, backing Iran’s armed forces after what Iranian officials described as a 40-day confrontation. Al Jazeera reported on April 11, day 43 of the conflict, that senior Iranian officials were in Islamabad for ceasefire talks with the United States. (presstv.ir) (aljazeera.com) Iranian state and affiliated outlets have framed the crowds as a nationwide show of support, while opposition-leaning outlet Iran International reported on March 25 that residents described nightly rallies alongside armed patrols and tighter security in multiple cities. Iran International said those residents saw the gatherings as part of an atmosphere of intimidation during the war. (iranintl.com) (presstv.ir) The rallies are unfolding after a separate wave of anti-government unrest that began on December 28, 2025, when protests spread across Iran over economic conditions and political repression. Amnesty International said Iranian authorities responded with a deadly crackdown and imposed an internet shutdown on January 8, 2026, as demonstrations intensified. (amnesty.org 1) (amnesty.org 2) Amnesty said at least 28 protesters and bystanders were killed in 13 cities across eight provinces between December 31, 2025 and January 3, 2026, based on information it gathered with Human Rights Watch. On January 23, Amnesty said the authorities had imposed sweeping detentions, enforced disappearances and bans on gatherings after mass killings earlier that month. (amnesty.org 1) (amnesty.org 2) That leaves two very different kinds of mobilization in Iran at once: state-backed demonstrations praising the military, and an opposition protest movement that human rights groups say was met with lethal force. The government has cast the unrest as foreign-backed, while rights groups and opposition outlets have documented repression, censorship and fear on the ground. (amnesty.org) (iranintl.com) Iran’s own official narrative has tied the rallies directly to wartime messaging. Tasnim reported on April 8 that the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces said 40 days of resistance had forced the United States and Israel to accept Iran’s terms, language that state media used to frame the street gatherings as public endorsement of that claim. (tasnimnews.com) (presstv.ir) What happens next depends less on the nightly crowd counts than on whether the ceasefire talks hold and whether internal controls ease. For now, the public picture coming out of Iran is split between official images of solidarity and outside reporting of a country still under heavy pressure. (aljazeera.com) (iranintl.com)