‘No future for us’: disaffected Iranians say it’s now or never to topple regime

A still from an eyewitness video shows fires burning outside a police station in Iran's Lorestan province on 1 January. Protests have spread from Tehran to about 32 cities across Iran. Photograph: Social Media/Reuters

Mehnaz was too young to protest when Mahsa Amini died in police custody three years ago after she was arrested for allegedly wearing the hijab improperly. Her mother did not let her join the throngs of crowds chanting “woman, life, freedom” in Tehran and across the country – so she could only watch at home as they were beaten back by batons and bullets.

Since then, the 19-year-old computer science student in Tehran has waited for the chance to join fellow Iranians in protest. On Sunday, the moment finally came.