Demonstrations against deteriorating living conditions have widened to include criticism of how Iran is governed, as the largest protests since 2022 enter their fourth day. The protests were sparked by the national currency plunging to a historic low on Sunday, with the Iranian rial dropping to 1.42m to the US dollar, a more than 56% decrease in value in six months. This has caused soaring inflation, with food prices up by 72% on average compared with the same time last year.
Alborz, a textile merchant in Isfahan, closed his shop and joined merchants across Iran who shuttered their stores and students who took over their campuses. Speaking under a pseudonym for fear of security reprisals, he said: “What will my children eat? Do we have to bring suitcases of cash to simply buy bread?” The father of four said the sudden loss of purchasing power pushed him and tens of thousands of others into the streets.
Protests have spread from Tehran to cities across Iran, with students paralysing university campuses, traders shutting down stores, and demonstrators blocking off streets in defiance of police. Social media has been filled with videos of protesters chanting anti-government slogans and throwing stones at security forces. Slogans such as “death to the dictator” and “woman, life, freedom” have been heard, echoing the 2022 protests that followed the death of Mahsa Amini.
Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has called for dialogue with protest leaders, saying the government should listen to “legitimate demands”. However, protesters are wary, believing it to be an attempt to co-opt their demands. Farhad, a 19-year-old university student active in the protests, said: “You must be naive to think Iranians trust this government or the regime.” He described how security services had confiscated student IDs and beaten and arrested some protesters.
The government is also facing threats from abroad, with US president Donald Trump suggesting there could be renewed nuclear activity in Iran. The protests are the largest since 2022, when Iranians erupted in anger at the death of Mahsa Amini. Those protests were violently quashed and ultimately simmered out.
