The protests in Iran began on a cold December day after many merchants in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, along Jomouri (Republic) Avenue, closed their shops in protest.
He was tired of seeing Iran’s national currency, the rial, continue to collapse. It had already lost almost half of its value in the last year, which meant traders were making losses every day and their financial losses were increasing day by day.
Prohibition The capital soon spread sporadically across Iran and was primarily affected by growing economic pressures and rising consumer prices.
These commercial centers, considered bellwethers of public sentiment, became points of frustration due to prolonged inflation, stagnant wages and rising costs of living.
Scattered from there Demonstrations It spread to cities like Azna, Malekshahi and Kermanshah in western Iran.
Marvdasht in southern Iran and Fouladshahr in the center, among others. Some escalated into violent clashes with security forces, resulting in deaths, injuries and many arrests.
Economic focus
Iran has experienced several waves of unrest in the past.
Student and reformist movements of 1999–2003 demanded democratic reforms and challenged the country’s ruling hardline Muslim scholars.
The Green Movement erupted after the disputed June 2009 presidential election, with citizens demanding the ouster of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and more democratic reforms.
The 2022–2023 Women, Life, Freedom protests led to the controversial death in custody of Mahsa Amini, who was arrested by the ethics police for not wearing her hijab properly.
But the latest round of protests has been driven less by socio-political demands and more by economic desperation.
What drives many to the streets today is not just discomfort, but the heavy toll of empty pockets – privacy, unpaid bills and the silence of dignity brought on by scarcity. The weight of absence, the pain of unmet need, that transforms private despair into public outrage.
Iran’s economy is in a fragile state due to years of severe international sanctions coupled with domestic mismanagement. The financial squeeze has eroded public confidence and fueled discontent, especially among the working and lower-middle classes, who now struggle to meet daily needs.
Responsiveness and authority
Another aspect of the ongoing protests that differs from many previous episodes of unrest in Iran is the state’s response.
Tehran has reacted immediately, quickly acknowledging the strength of public demand.
President Massoud Pezeshkian, who led the reformist administration, moved quickly to recognize the people’s right to peaceful protest. In a significant departure from the hardline responses of previous governments, Pezeshkian directed the Interior Ministry to engage directly with protesters and emphasized the importance of listening to citizens’ concerns.
In line with the call for dialogue, the government announced several policy initiatives aimed at addressing the root causes of public discontent.
This includes developing a new subsidy framework and a comprehensive plan designed to improve living standards.
In addition, the appointment of a new governor for the Central Bank of Iran has been presented as a step towards stabilizing the currency and restoring public confidence in financial management.
These policy cues are accompanied by a broader narrative of the country’s leadership, framing the turmoil in terms of both domestic difficulties on the one hand and external pressures and foreign intervention on the other.
“We are in a situation where external pressure is being exerted by the country’s enemies and, unfortunately, within the country as well,” Pezeshkian said.
“Right now, the enemy has placed most of his hopes on bringing us down through economic pressure. We must remain united and committed to improving our country.”
Other senior figures in the state have echoed the dual-track message: support for legal protest, combined with a strong stance against disorder.
Above all, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in his first public comment on the matter: “The ban is justified, but a protest is different from a riot. We talk to the protester, and the authorities should talk to the protester; but there is no use talking to the rioter – the rioter must sit in his place.”
Ali Larijani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, also clarified the difference between economic grievances and disruptive behavior.
In a post on X, he wrote, “We distinguish between the role of protesting shoppers and the actions of disruptive artists.”
Fear of foreign interference
Concerns about foreign interference are shaping the state’s messaging. Fears have grown after US President Donald Trump posted on social media that if Iran “shoots and kills protesters”, the US will “come to their rescue”.
Israeli officials also issued statements of support for the protesters, raising further suspicions in Tehran. In response, Larijani warned, “Trump must know that US intervention in this internal matter means destabilizing the entire region and destroying US interests.”
Demonstrations continue in some cities, but have yet to gather momentum and coalesce into a sustained or widespread movement, as in previous episodes, and some cities have now returned to peace.
Underlying economic pressures, however, remain both acute and cumulative.
Inflation continues to erode purchasing power, while relentless economic volatility has made even simple planning uncertain for many citizens.
The stress comes on top of a year of upheaval: the collapse of nuclear talks, unprecedented Israeli-American strikes and the reimposition of UN sanctions – shocks that rocked the nation on every front.
Regardless of whether people take to the streets, daily life continues to be strained, and the state’s desire to engage with citizens represents a significant departure from past approaches, without tangible improvements in living standards, with the prospect of nationwide unrest imminent.
As Iran navigates this delicate multilayered phase, the balance between responsiveness and authority will shape not only the path of a reformist government, but the broader political landscape.
For now, protests are not taking place in all the streets across the country, though grievances are unmistakably voiced — and the state’s ability to translate assurances into apparent relief will determine whether protesters retreat and a fragile peace can be assembled, or whether more will take to the streets and this just proves peaceful.