Last week, Iranian soccer fans defied a government decision to observe a minute of silence for Gazans during a match in Tehran by blowing horns and shouting anti-Hamas slogans.
The video of the protest spread throughout social media on Twitter (X) and Facebook, demonstrating the Iranian people's antagonism towards the government's support of Hamas, Hezbollah, and other terrorist groups seeking to destroy Israel.
"The people of Iran are aware that the regime in Iran is behind the attacks by Hamas. The people of Iran are tired of the regime's terroristic rhetoric, and they will defy when they are able to, especially at a large football game," said Iranian American activist Arezo Rashidian.
At the start of the game, spectators reacted to the announcement for a minute of silence for Gaza with noise and the blaring of horns. It was a match involving Persepolis FC, where fans of that team chanted slogans against pro-regime individuals displaying Palestinian flags in the stadium.
The Islamic Republic of Iran's leadership and its proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and other parts of the Middle East region have announced their full support for Hamas, an Iran-backed militant group responsible for a brutal attack on Israel and the massacre of around 1,400 people on October 7, 2023.
Rashidian quoted the crown Prince of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, from Twitter, stating: "Iranians on the streets of the city of Zahedan are chanting "Neither #Gaza, nor Lebanon, my life is only for #Iran!" and the Islamic Republic regime is responding to my compatriots' peaceful chants with a violent crackdown— including against children."
"The regime occupying our country is the godfather of terrorism in the Middle East. No Iranian, Israeli, or Arab will be safe as long as this criminal regime is in power. Lasting peace in the Middle East can come sooner than expected if the world takes real action to help the Iranian people overthrow this terrorist empire," Rashidian quoted Pahlavi.
Following Hamas's attack against Israel, the Ayatollahs organized street protests in support of Hamas in Tehran and other cities.
According to reports, the participants were regime supporters and members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) and their families.
Ordinary Iranians largely refrained from participating in these rallies, and instead, many counterprotested against the regime's support for terrorism.
In response to Iran's support for Hamas and terrorist proxies in the region, the United States has sent several carriers to the eastern Mediterranean and military equipment for Israel against its fight with Hamas.
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