The reaction of Iranian Students to Amir Mohammad Khaleghi death
Tragedy Strikes at the Heart of Tehran University
Once again, the shadow of death loomed over Tehran University. Late at night, a tragic incident claimed the life of a 19-year-old student, Amir Mohammad Khaleghi, a business management undergraduate. He was brutally stabbed as he made his way back to his dormitory.
The violent crime, initially suspected to be a mugging gone wrong, has ignited outrage among students, who see it as yet another failure of university and state authorities to ensure their safety. The university administration issued a formal statement expressing condolences, praising the young scholar for his academic excellence.
Yet, for many students, such words rang hollow. Security concerns around the dormitories had been raised months before, during a meeting with Mohammad Zareh Chahouki, Director of Tehran University’s Dormitory Affairs, but no action was taken.
This negligence has now culminated in a preventable tragedy. For months, students warn that the poorly lit areas around the university dormitories are dangerous, yet authorities dismiss their concerns. Instead, university officials focus more on enforcing strict disciplinary measures on students for minor infractions, such as mandatory Hijab, while failing to provide even the most basic security.
On the afternoon of February 14, 2025, dormitory students at the University of Tehran staged a major protest on campus, holding the university directly responsible for the death of Ali Mohammad Khaleghi. The demonstration marked the spark of a nationwide wave of dissent across Iran.
— Amirkabir NewsLetter خبرنامهٔ امیرکبیر (@autnews_org) February 14, 2025
Unrest at the University: Protests and Confrontations
The killing of Khaleghi becomes a breaking point. By the following day, Tehran University’s students take to the streets in protest, demanding justice and accountability. The protests begin in front of the dormitories and quickly spread to the main university gates.
Demonstrators chant slogans such as, “One of us is gone, who will answer?” and “The spilled blood will not be forgotten.”
Tensions escalate as university security attempts to contain the demonstrations. Reports emerge of physical altercations between students and security personnel, with some students being forcibly removed from the protest site.
Meanwhile, heavily armed plainclothes officers and special police forces are deployed around the dormitory complex, raising fears of an impending crackdown similar to past violent incidents at Tehran University.
The Fight Continues: A Statement of Defiance
As the protests grow in intensity, security forces intensify their response. Reports indicate that students attempting to join the demonstrations are blocked from entering the dormitory compound, with some resorting to climbing fences to reach their peers.
Witnesses report that a female student is assaulted by plainclothes officers near the main entrance of the dormitories after confronting them about their presence. Some students fight back, managing to briefly detain one of the officers, who is later revealed to be an intelligence operative carrying official credentials. The authorities swiftly intervene, securing the agent’s release under the cover of an ambulance.
Amid the chaos, one of the most vocal student leaders, Ehsan, a third-year business student and close friend of the slain Amir-Mohammad Khaleghi, shared his account in this report. Ehsan had known Amir since their first semester and was among the earliest students to arrive at the dormitory courtyard after the incident.
“We were simply protesting the murder of our friend,” Ehsan said.
“But from sunset on February 14, plainclothes forces and then police began surrounding the dormitory. I personally saw them preventing students from leaving. It was clear—they had come to escalate tensions, to push the protests toward confrontation, and then use that as a pretext to invade the dorms after dark. And that’s exactly what happened.”
According to Ehsan, the atmosphere quickly turned from mourning to fear.
“A female student’s nose was broken in front of the dorm entrance. I knew Mohsen Dousti (a mutual friend of mine and Amir-Mohammad Khaleghi)—his belongings were confiscated that night by security agents. We were really scared. We didn’t know what to do. It felt like we were being hunted.”
Ehsan’s testimony, like that of other students, illustrates the sense of betrayal and helplessness among young people who had turned to peaceful protest in the face of state neglect.
“None of us came out to fight,” he added. “We had no slogans against the system, no banners, no organization. Just grief, and questions. But we were treated like criminals. As if mourning was a crime.”
His account raises broader questions about the university’s responsibility to protect its students, and whether state security forces intentionally escalated the situation. In light of this, calls for an independent investigation into the dormitory raid have intensified.
On the night of February 14, as hundreds of plainclothes agents from the Ministry of Intelligence gathered around Tehran University dormitories, students staged a sit-in in the dormitory courtyard. At least one student was reportedly detained, and another suffered a broken nose. His belongings were then allegedly stolen by these plainclothes intelligence forces.
These events prompted the reformist president to issue an order for the dismissal of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs at Tehran University due to the incidents that occurred that night.
Meanwhile, security forces, including riot police and plainclothes agents, begin rounding up protest leaders. At least four students are arrested, while others report being beaten and having their personal belongings confiscated.
The unrest spreads beyond the university, with streets leading to the dormitory compound filled with security forces attempting to prevent further mobilization.
Despite the crackdown, the students of Tehran University remain undeterred. In a powerful statement read aloud before thousands of demonstrators, they declare:
Around 1,000 students from Tehran University dormitories and other universities gathered to protest the killing of their fellow student, Amir Mohammad Khaleghi. During the demonstration, they read a statement declaring that they have no personal safety in Iran.
The statement said:
“If it had been a matter of hijab violations, imagine what you would have done. What you disregard is the lives of Iran’s children.”— Amirkabir NewsLetter خبرنامهٔ امیرکبیر (@autnews_org) February 14, 2025
Their message is clear—the government’s priorities do not align with the needs and safety of its citizens. Solidarity pours in from other academic institutions, including students from the Polytechnic University of Tehran, who condemn the government’s failure to provide security and warn that continued suppression will lead to wider protests.
The protests in response to the lack of safety on campus quickly spread to other universities. On February 15, students at the University of the Arts held a large demonstration against the Islamic Republic, protesting the absence of security for students.
As night falls, the chants of “Death to Khamenei” echo through the dormitory halls. The students’ message is unmistakable: they hold Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei ultimately responsible for the state’s negligence, corruption, and failures that have turned Tehran’s streets into battlegrounds of fear and injustice.
The Beginning of the End?
Khaleghi’s death is not an isolated event but rather a symptom of a much larger crisis. Crime and violence are on the rise across Iran, exacerbated by the government’s systematic corruption. The state’s prioritization of foreign conflicts over domestic stability leaves Iranian citizens struggling with worsening security conditions, economic hardships, and a declining standard of living.
While today may not be the final reckoning, each act of defiance adds weight to a growing movement. Iranian students are no longer willing to remain silent in the face of oppression. Their voices ring louder with each injustice, and history has shown that when students rise, change is inevitable. One of these blows will be the final one, and the students of Iran are ready to strike it.
