Image: Shima Abedinzade

As Iran grapples with severe economic and social crises, the regime’s ideological enforcers have stepped up their repression, particularly of women’s rights amid punishment for failing to wear compulsory hijab.

Facing this enforcement, artists and activists — both within Iran and in the diaspora — are using music and cultural expressions as powerful tools of resistance.

A Regime in Trouble

The Iranian government is struggling with a significant budget deficit. Inflation continues to surge, with grocery prices spiking by 35% in just the past month. In the healthcare sector, most citizens can no longer afford essential medicines, and critical shortages have driven pharmaceutical prices to unprecedented levels.

In the industrial sector, many factories are grappling with frequent power and gas outages, forcing them to reduce production and lay off workers. This energy crisis extends to residential areas, with daily power outages across the country — including the capital Tehran — lasting between two and three hours.

The economic downturn has left no segment of society untouched, with even the wealthiest citizens growing increasingly anxious. A growing number of Iranians, across all social classes, are withdrawing their savings from banks and converting them into foreign currencies — particularly US dollars — and gold coins. Many are choosing to store their assets at home, rather than in banks, reflecting a deepening mistrust in the financial system.

In this fragile economic climate, the Supreme Leader has announced that Iran will not engage in any discussions with the US beyond diplomatic negotiations. This declaration triggered a sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial. Standing at 45,000:1 v. the US dollar in early 2018, it is now 989,000:1, a fall of more than 25% since late November.

Officials in the Pezeshkian Administration have acknowledged a critical shortage of foreign currency, severely hampering the import of essential goods, including raw materials for fast-moving consumer goods and pharmaceuticals. There are widespread protests by groups such as nurses, factory workers, and retirees, who regularly gather in front of government offices to voice their grievances about the worsening economic conditions.

The regime’s response has been to crack down on social issues. In the latest attempt to enforce dress codes for women, the government has established a “repentance room” at Tehran’s Tajrish Metro Station, one of the busiest transit hubs in the capital.

The room, designed to resemble a shrine, features images of “martyrs” like Gen. Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Revolutionary Guards’ Qods Force, and Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza. Women clad in the chador, a full-body Islamic veil, guide those punished for removing their hijabs. They show them videos and images to persuade them to “repent” and to cover their heads.

Like previous efforts, including the “morality police”, this initiative has largely failed. The repentance room operated for only about ten days before fading into obscurity, as most women simply ignored it.

While the Iranian authorities ratified stricter hijab laws, the government has struggled to enforce them. President Masoud Pezeshkian has expressed opposition, saying that such policies only escalate tensions and that his administration does not intend to antagonize those who reject the hijab mandate.

But hardliners within the regime remain determined to impose their agenda. They have mobilized groups of women to take to the streets in support of the hijab law. A member of Parliament revealed that the hardline elements have been funded the groups under the banner of “Supporting the Family Through the Promotion of the Culture of Chastity and Hijab”.

Resisting Repression

Since the beginning of the Women, Life, Freedom movement in September 2022, artists and musicians have used their voices to support the cause. The song Baraye by Shervin Hajipour became the anthem of the movement. Composed from tweets expressing Iranians’ frustrations and hopes, Baraye resonated deeply with millions and won the first-ever Grammy for Best Song for Social Change.

Another significant figure in this movement is Mehdi Yarahi, a pop singer known for his socially conscious music. In 2023, he released Roosarito (Your Headscarf), opposing the mandatory hijab and expressing solidarity with Iranian women. The song sparked outrage among authorities, leading to Yarahi’s arrest. He was sentenced to two years in prison, a fine, and 74 lashes.

Resistance against the regime is not just by famous artists. In the Tajrish Metro Station, a young man sang a modified version of a popular song by Mahasti, a famous singer who moved to the US after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

The young man’s lyrics, altering the song to comment on the political and social situation, resonated with the frustrations of many, especially among youth. After his performance, the
crowd applauded in a show of support for the message.

The regime later pressured the man to publicly recant, forcing him to declare his loyalty to the state and to retract his criticisms, with the claim that US sanctions were the main issue affecting the country.

“The Darkest Night Will Eventually Give Way to Life”

The modified song calls upon listeners:

Come, let’s write, like homework, like a lesson in tomorrow’s history book. Come, let’s write, we’re still alive under the weight of grief and pain. Come, let’s write, the era of hope is dead, but we know well that the darkest night will eventually give way to light.

War, hatred, sanctions, and injustice—this world is tainted. Who knows what we’ve been through, except for us? No one in the world has shed as much blood as we have. For just a little bit of life, we’ve died so many times.

After all this sorrow, we still stand proud. One day, a time will come when we’ll laugh together again.

Through the metaphor of “writing history”, the anthem sets out an important chapter in the story of Iranian resilience. The people “are still alive” under the weight of grief and pain. If the “era of hope is dead”, there is the hope that “the darkest night will eventually give way to light”: “After all this sorrow, we still stand proud.”

With its final line, “One day, a time will come when we’ll laugh together again”, the stand against repression is confirmed: in a future of unity, freedom, and joy, the pain of today will lead to a collective triumph.

Image: Mahsa Ghanvati

The Regime v. Change

The regime tried to block the video of the young man singing, initially shared on Instagram. But it spread thanks to Virtual Proxy Networks.

Cultural resistance, through music, art, and other forms of expression, is a powerful tool for the Iranian people in their struggle against the regime. Despite censorship, digital platforms are vital in exposing the realities on the ground to a global audience.

This is is not only a form of protest but also a challenge to the regime’s narrative. The conflict between the state and its citizens is being played out in the streets, in metro stations, and on social media.

And the ongoing struggles reflect the deepening divide between a regime desperately clinging to power and a populace yearning for change.