DUBAI — Protests over Iran’s soaring cost of living spread on Tuesday to several universities, with students joining shopkeepers and traders in expressing their frustration, as the government offered to open a dialogue with demonstrators.
Iran’s currency, the rial, has lost nearly half its value against the US dollar this year, while inflation reached 42 percent in December, worsening the economic pressures faced by ordinary citizens.
President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on social media late Monday that he had instructed the interior minister to listen to the “legitimate demands” of protesters. Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani confirmed that a dialogue mechanism would be established to include discussions with protest leaders. “We officially recognise the protests. We hear their voices and we know that this originates from natural pressure arising from the pressure on people’s livelihoods,” she said on Tuesday, according to state media.
In central Tehran, scores of people marched chanting “Rest in peace Reza Shah,” a reference to the founder of the royal dynasty overthrown during the 1979 revolution. Footage aired on Iranian state television showed large gatherings of citizens chanting slogans against economic mismanagement and corruption.
The semi-official Fars News Agency reported that hundreds of students held protests at four universities in Tehran on Tuesday. Social media users expressed solidarity with the demonstrators, with some highlighting that high prices and corruption had “brought people to the point of explosion,” while others warned that unrest could spread nationwide.
Authorities have previously suppressed protests over economic difficulties, drought, women’s rights, and political freedoms, often with security interventions and mass arrests. The government has yet to clarify the format or scope of dialogue with the leaders of this week’s demonstrations, which are the first major protests since Israeli and US strikes on Iran in June prompted a wave of public solidarity.
President Pezeshkian, speaking at a meeting with trade unions and market activists, assured that the government would work to address economic concerns and resolve issues affecting citizens, according to state media.
Iran’s economy has been under stress for years following the re-imposition of US sanctions in 2018 after President Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal. UN sanctions were also reinstated in September. Efforts in October to avert economic collapse, manage public anger, and circumvent sanctions have been underway, but economic disparities and reported corruption have fueled discontent, especially as inflation pushes prices beyond reach for most Iranians.
On Tuesday, the rial hit a record low of 1.4 million to the US dollar on private exchange platforms, compared with 817,500 at the start of the year. Monthly annualized inflation has remained above 36 percent since late March, at the start of the Iranian new year.
Adding to economic uncertainty, Iran’s central bank chief resigned on Monday, reportedly due to pressure from the government’s recent economic liberalization policies that affected the open-market rial rate, where citizens buy foreign currency. Most businesses continue to use official exchange channels where rates are more stable.
Meanwhile, international tensions remain high. President Trump warned that he might support additional Israeli air strikes if Iran resumes work on ballistic missiles or nuclear weapons. In June, the US and Israel conducted 12 days of air strikes targeting Iran’s military and nuclear installations to prevent alleged nuclear weapons development.
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