Iranian security forces deploy checkpoints as student protests resurface

Iranian security forces have increased their presence in Tehran and other cities, with motorcycle patrols, checkpoints and forces positioned in major urban areas as authorities prepare for possible unrest, multiple Iranian sources told Fox News Digital.

The increased security comes as university students returned to the streets of Tehran to protest compulsory hijab rules, rising education costs and political repression, according to videos published on Iran International.

Sources in Iran confirmed to Fox News Digital that motorcycle units were operating in Tehran and other cities during events surrounding Iran’s annual “Sacred Defense Week,” while members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Basij and law enforcement were positioned in major squares and other locations.

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Motorcyclists take part in a state-organized motorcycle parade called “Janfada”, meaning “Sacrifice for Iran”, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, September 25, 2026. (Vahid Salemi/AP Photo)

The sources also said security officers stopped pedestrians, searched some individuals and examined cell phones, including material that authorities consider “anti-regime.”

The accounts follow a report by the Committee on Security and Counterterrorism of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), according to which Iranian authorities ordered a state of “100 percent” readiness for the army, IRGC, Basij and law enforcement and canceled leave until September 27. The NCRI also claimed that 51,000 personnel had been deployed in Greater Tehran, including 30,000 IRGC and Basij members and 21,000 law enforcement personnel. The reported preparations come as signs of public unrest begin to resurface on college campuses. Fox News Digital has not independently confirmed these claims.

A source in Tehran told Fox News Digital that the heightened security presence extends beyond what is visible on the streets.

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Motorcyclists take part in a state-organized motorcycle parade called “Janfada”, meaning “Sacrifice for Iran”, in Tehran, Iran, Friday, September 25, 2026. (Vahid Salemi/AP)

“Motorcyclists taking photos of stores and prisoners being threatened and forced to tell their families not to physically participate in any protests that might arise,” the source said.

The source said Basij members who had previously received military training have been placed on alert and are being housed or gathered in educational institutions and large properties on the outskirts of Tehran.

The measures were not limited to the capital. “This situation exists in all cities, but the nature of the presence and the way things are organized differ,” the source told Fox News Digital, citing information received from Borujen, Isfahan and other cities.

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Soldiers from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in western Tehran, Iran. (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

“In these places, plainclothes agents are more numerous and try to stay out of public view; however, in Tehran, they openly appear on the streets in military uniforms and equipment specifically to sow fear and terror,” the source said, adding that holidays had also been canceled in smaller towns and that shops, telephone communications and daily activities were under increased surveillance.

Iranian journalist Mehdi Ghadimi, who lives outside Iran after years of opposition activity, separately told Fox News Digital that he had received similar accounts.

“I have received reports of new checkpoints being set up in Tehran, as well as military forces being put on alert, as well as calls from civilians previously trained by the regime for urban repression,” Ghadimi said, adding that people are being detained for espionage simply because they communicate with people outside Iran.

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Members of the Basij paramilitary force stand at a checkpoint in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, March 29, 2026. (Vahid Salemi/AP Photo)

Ghadimi also said he had received reports that individuals with extensive criminal records had been released from prison in exchange for dealing with local Basij bases and participating in the suppression of protests.

Students at Allameh Tabataba’i University in Tehran demonstrated on Monday against the compulsory hijab, rising tuition fees and living conditions at the university, according to videos reported by Iran International on September 28 and 29. Students were recorded chanting against moral policing and political repression.

Iran International reported that the protest began over tuition fees, dormitories and food, before spreading to broader political chants. The media outlet, citing student publication Amirkabir, reported that Basij members attempted to disrupt the rally and threatened the students.

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The protests also come amid renewed pressure over mandatory hijab rules on college campuses. On September 8, Iran International reported that a senior official from the office representing Iran’s Supreme Leader in universities said that a new directive on compulsory hijab for universities had been drafted and was expected to be issued by ministries responsible for higher education.

Separately, the IRGC intensified its rhetoric toward Washington on Tuesday, with spokesperson Hossein Mohebbi calling on Americans to put pressure on President Donald Trump’s administration. “This lying administration must be changed,” Mohebbi said at a press conference in Tehran, according to a Reuters video broadcast on September 29.

His remarks came as U.S. and Iranian officials continue indirect contacts through mediators in a bid to end the seven-month conflict, Reuters reported.

The combination of visible security preparations and renewed protests is fueling speculation among Iranians about whether the country could face a new, broader wave of unrest.

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Members of the Iranian police stand guard during a protest outside the British Embassy following anti-government protests in Tehran, Iran, January 14, 2026. (Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via)

“The reality is, no one knows what’s going to happen,” Ghadimi told Fox News Digital. “Everyone I speak to says this situation cannot continue and that one way or another it has to end.”