Plunging rial coincides with protests spreading across Iran

Angry protests have spread from bazaars and university campuses in major cities to impoverished towns across Iran, posing a serious challenge to the country’s authoritarian government, The New York Times reported. The unrest intensified after the Iranian rial plunged to an all-time low against the U.S.

dollar on Dec. 28, prompting shopkeepers in Tehran’s bazaars to strike and join street demonstrations. Videos verified by The Times showed merchants chanting in Charsou Mall and protesters marching in multiple cities. Rights groups say the demonstrations have killed dozens, and verified footage shows clashes with security forces in places including Shiraz, Mashhad and Yasuj.

Protesters include a broader cross-section of society than in recent movements, with poor and middle-class Iranians joining bazaaris and students. Protesters quoted by The Times described deep economic pain and corruption; one, who gave his name as Saeed, said he had decided to join “before these protests even took place.” Economist Mahdi Ghodsi and others cited long-running high inflation and financial mismanagement as drivers of the unrest.

Key Topics

World, Iran, Iranian Rial, Tehran, Bazaaris, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei