According to The New York Times, after the spontaneous celebrations following Iran winning a spot in the 1998 FIFA World Cup, and the student protests in July 1999, the Islamic government felt that it had lost control of the streets, and reactivated the Basij.
Menurut New York Times, setelah perayaan spontan karena Iran dapat berlaga di Piala Dunia FIFA 1998, dan protes mahasiswa di bulan Juli 1999, pemerintahan Islam merasa bahwa mereka telah kehilangan kontrol dari masyarakat, dan Basij kembali diaktifkan.