Protests in Iran have taken over the streets. The students, shopkeepers, and businessmen in Iran have left their universities and businesses respectively to join others on the streets over the worsening economic crisis in the country. The protests have continued for the last three days, and have spread from the capital Tehran to the other cities of the country.
The economy of Iran has already been suffering, but the unprecedented depreciation of the Iranian rial to 1.42m against the US dollar on Sunday made things worse, as the value reduced by 56% in less than six months. The depreciation in the currency prices has led to rising inflation and appreciating food prices compared to last year. by over 72%.
External problems have complicated the situation, as Iran is one of the most sanctioned countries, which makes its inflation worse, accessing funds difficult, and also increases its import costs. The protests are said to be the largest since 2022, when the country protested against the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, for not wearing her Hijab properly. The 2022 protests were violently quashed by the authorities.
Several videos from the protest have surfaced on the internet, and they show the dark reality of what is going on in the country. Protestors are seen shouting anti-government slogans and throwing stones at the forces. The protest that initially began against the worsening economic conditions in the country has taken a political angle as the people are now protesting against the way the country is being governed.
Slogans like “death to the dictator” and “woman, life, freedom” are chanted by activists, students, and shopkeepers. The type of slogans that can land the protestors in jail. As per reports, the government has called for dialogue with the protest leader, as the Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian called for listening to the legitimate demands of the protestors.
