Iran protest intensifies as inflation soars and traders shut markets, with anger mounting against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s leadership.
For the first time in three years, Iran is witnessing its largest wave of public demonstrations, driven by a worsening economic crisis and deepening public frustration.
Traders and shopkeepers in Tehran’s historic bazaar walked out this week, chanting slogans and shutting down businesses in protest. The action followed a sharp plunge in Iran’s currency to a record low, pushing inflation and living costs beyond what many citizens say they can endure.
“This is the year of blood, Sayed Ali will be toppled,” protesters chanted an unusually direct reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, signalling growing anger at the highest level of Iran’s leadership.
Economic hardship is at the heart of the unrest. Food prices have risen by more than 70 percent compared to the same period last year, while year-on-year inflation for December has crossed 40 percent.
Many protesters blame government mismanagement for the crisis, arguing that policy failures not just international sanctions have pushed ordinary Iranians into hardship.
Similar demonstrations have been reported in several cities across the country, suggesting the unrest is not limited to Tehran alone.
In parts of the capital, police deployed tear gas to disperse crowds. In one striking scene, a lone protester stood his ground, covering his face but refusing to retreat an act of defiance in a country where dissent has often been met with swift and deadly crackdowns.
Despite the risks, students at multiple universities have also staged demonstrations, calling for economic justice and accountability.
President Masoud Pezeshkian acknowledged the growing public anger, saying the livelihood of Iranians is his “daily concern.” He added that the Minister of Interior has been directed to listen to what he described as the protesters’ “legitimate demands.”
In a notable development, the head of Iran’s Central Bank resigned amid the turmoil, underlining the seriousness of the economic fallout.
Earlier in December, hundreds of women ran a marathon on Kish Island without wearing mandatory headscarves another act of defiance that, in the past, has triggered harsh crackdowns.
While analysts note that large sections of the population have yet to join the Iran protest, uncertainty over what could replace the current system appears to be limiting wider participation.
Still, history looms large. Merchants played a decisive role in Iran’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, and their renewed involvement is being closely watched.
For now, the scale of the unrest and how far it may spread remains unclear. But as economic pressure intensifies, the Iranian leadership may find it increasingly difficult to ignore the voices rising from the streets.
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