During the 2025–2026 Iranian protests and the ensuing internet blackout and massacres in Iran, many people across the Iranian diaspora held solidarity rallies worldwide against the Islamic Republic. Some protesters and diaspora members have faced transnational threats, violence, and even death amid the rallies. The diaspora-led rallies against the Islamic Republic have continued during the 2026 Iran war.

After the start of the Iran war on 28 February, celebratory rallies against the Islamic Republic were held worldwide, led by the Iranian diaspora. This mirrored reactions reported among some Iranians in Iran.

Several thousand protesters gathered in Berlin in February 2026, with about 10,000 attending a rally at the Brandenburg Gate organized by the MEK, calling for an end to Iran's clerical regime and condemning its violent crackdown on recent anti-government protests. The MEK event featured prominent European and American political figures, with participants demanding free elections.

Reza Pahlavi called for a global day of action on 14 February, prompting large diaspora rallies in cities including Los Angeles, Toronto, and Munich. The Munich rally attracted more than 250,000 participants, while the Toronto and Los Angeles rallies each drew an estimated 350,000 attendees. Analysts noted that Pahlavi's level of support remains difficult to assess, with some questioning whether participants were expressing support for monarchy or opposition to the Islamic Republic.

Diaspora protests and rallies Initial rallies

Beginning in January 2026, solidarity rallies against the Islamic Republic were held worldwide in many countries.

By 20 January, the country with the most rallies was Germany with 27 rallies in the ten days between 11 and 20 January. The US and Australia held 23 rallies each during this period, Canada held 19, and the UK held 12. While the number of protesters across many of the rallies is unclear, by 1 February, a rally in Toronto was reported to have 150,000 in attendance with "zero incidents" according to Toronto police, and a rally in Los Angeles was reported to have 60,000 in attendance.

While the protests in Iran were suppressed with deadly force, the worldwide solidarity rallies across the diaspora continued. Despite isolated incidents of violence reported in some locations, most diaspora rallies were largely peaceful overall, with police in several cities reporting orderly conduct and many participants giving flowers to officers as a gesture of gratitude, as well as cleaning up litter in the streets at the end of the rallies.

Global day of action

Reza Pahlavi declared 14 February as a "global day of action," and called for major diaspora solidarity rallies in Los Angeles, Toronto, and Munich. Iranians from neighboring countries, states, and cities drove, bussed, and flew in for the Munich, Toronto, and Los Angeles rallies. Over 250,000 attended the 14 February rally in Munich, making it the largest ever Iran-focused demonstration in European history to date, while the Toronto and Los Angeles rallies each drew 350,000 in attendance. The 14 February rally in London also drew 50,000, and the rally in Vancouver drew 45,000. Thousands of people took part in solidarity rallies elsewhere worldwide, including in Washington, D.C., Lisbon, Tel Aviv, and cities across Australia.

The same day, the 62nd Munich Security Conference was held, where Reza Pahlavi was invited to participate and speak before giving a speech at the Munich rally. U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham also attended the Munich rally, holding a Lion and Sun flag and telling the crowd, "The people of Iran are making history, and this is the most magnificent moment in Iranian history," while stressing that he would help the Iranian people rid themselves of the Islamic Republic.

Iranian state media downplayed the diaspora rallies, while many Iranians within Iran stated the diaspora rallies gave them a renewed sense of hope and unity. Following the Munich rally, Iran summoned Germany's ambassador in Tehran.

Following the Israeli–United States strikes on Iran

Following the start of the Iran war, many members of the Iranian diaspora held celebratory rallies worldwide amid the American and Israeli strikes on Iran and the assassination of Khamenei, echoing the cheerful sentiment of many in Iran.

Amid the war, members of the Iranian diaspora also celebrated the 17 March Chaharshanbe Suri festivities worldwide ahead of the 20 March Nowruz holiday. The diaspora rallies against the Islamic Republic also continued during the Nowruz festivities. Diaspora-led rallies supporting the overthrow of the Islamic Republic have continued amid the war.

On 29 March, a rally and march from US Congress towards the White House was held in Washington DC in support of regime change in Iran; the rally was called for by Pahlavi. After the 8 April ceasefire, rallies continued to be held worldwide against the Islamic Republic, with protesters voicing opposition to any potential deal with the Islamic Republic during international rallies on 11 April and onwards, including in Australia, Austria, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Scotland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. Separately, on 30 April 2026, diaspora protests were held outside the 2026 FIFA Congress in Vancouver, calling on FIFA to ban the Iranian team from the 2026 FIFA World Cup and stating that it represents the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) instead of the people of Iran; over 200 Iranians also protested outside SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles on 7 June before Iran's opening 2026 World Cup match, waving Lion and Sun flags after FIFA banned the flag again.

Maryam Rajavi, the leader of the France–Albania based National Council of Resistance of Iran, which is the political wing of the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), announced the formation of a rival transitional government and rejected both the Islamic Republic and the Iran Prosperity Project on the social media site X.

In contrast to the diaspora celebrations supporting the Israeli–US military strikes, protests against the strikes were held worldwide, with protests in the United States against the strikes being organized by a coalition of organizations, including 50501, A.N.S.W.E.R., American Muslims for Palestine, Black Alliance for Peace, Code Pink, Democratic Socialists of America, Palestinian Youth Movement, and the National Iranian American Council, and protests in London, England against the strikes being organized by groups that include the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, Stop The War, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, the Muslim Association of Britain, the Palestinian Forum in Britain, and Friends of Al-Aqsa. The Guardian viewed the coalition in the US protests as consisting of left-wing organizations. London's Metropolitan Police imposed conditions on both the Iranian diaspora rallies and the pro-Palestinian "Hands off Iran" protests in order to prevent potential clashes between the opposing groups.

Philip Mai, a senior researcher at the Social Media Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University, said that coordinated online activity appeared to be promoting Pahlavi as the leading figure of the Iranian opposition during the protests.

In June 2026, the Paris Police Prefecture banned an NCRI-organized demonstration against executions in Iran, citing possible clashes between opposing groups. The NCRI challenged the decision in court, describing the stated reasons as unfounded. The organizers suggested the decision was influenced by a telephone conversation between the French and Iranian foreign ministers shortly before the ban. Organizers expected around 100,000 participants, and the rally was intended to protest the recent increase in executions in Iran.

Protester demands Regime change in Iran Protesters called for the international community to take "immediate action" against the Iranian government's actions in suppressing protesters during the 2026 Iran massacres, while expressing support for the Iranian people.

A study has indicated that members of the Iranian diaspora were deeply affected by the massacres despite being far away physically and that it had a major effect on their lives as a whole.

At many of the rallies, protesters replaced the flag of the Islamic Republic with the Lion and Sun flag, the Iranian flag prior to the 1979 Iranian Revolution, and accompanied it with the flag of the host country. Slogans included "Free political prisoners", "Long live the king", "Death to Khamenei", "king Reza Pahlavi" and "This is the final battle—Pahlavi will return", while some demonstrators who reject both forms of government have been heard shouting "Neither Shah nor Mullah". Protesters' signs condemned the "New Holocaust," a "genocide in the making," and "terror". Protesters also called for regime change and secular democracy.

Another concern cited by protesters is the internet blackout, which they say is a method used by the government to prevent protesters from within the country from effectively communicating, while covering up a deadly repression of protesters. During the internet blackout in Iran, Iranian diaspora internet users ran applications to share part of their bandwidth in an attempt to help users inside Iran circumvent the blackout.

Across the Iranian diaspora as well as Iranians inside Iran, calls grew for American military strikes on Iran. Likewise, amid the 26 February negotiations in Geneva, members of the Iranian diaspora protested against the Islamic Republic outside the United Nations Office. During the 28 February Israeli–United States strikes on Iran, members of the Iranian diaspora held celebratory rallies worldwide, echoing the cheerful sentiment of many in Iran.

On 24 February, Iranian protesters in London urged the UK to designate the IRGC as a terrorist organization.

Deportation of Islamic Republic agents abroad