Students join protests in Iran as economic hardship fuels discontent

Iranians have staged protests against worsening economic and living standards for a fourth day, with clashes between security forces and civilians erupting in cities across the Islamic Republic. Demonstrators took to the streets of Tehran and outside the capital on Wednesday, extending unrest that began after the national currency plunged to historic lows on Sunday. That has triggered a rise in food prices with inflation hitting more than 40 per cent in December, exacerbated by strict international sanctions. Fasa, a city of about 150,000 people in south-central Iran, emerged as a focal point. Protesters stormed the governor’s office, setting fires and throwing rocks, according to footage published by the state-affiliated Nour News. Additional videos on social media showed security forces firing shots and referenced casualties. The semi-official Tasnim news agency denied anyone had died and reported that three police officers were injured in the clashes. Iranian students staged street protests in Tehran on Tuesday, a day after the capital’s shopkeepers demonstrated against economic hardship and won a message of understanding from the president. According to Ilna, a news agency associated with Iran’s labour movement, protests erupted at 10 universities across the country, including seven in Tehran that are among the country’s most prestigious. Protests also broke out at the technology university in the central city of Isfahan and institutions in the cities of Yazd and Zanjan, Ilna and state-run IRNA reported. On Tuesday, security forces and riot police were deployed at major intersections in Tehran and around some universities, while some of the shops closed the previous day in the capital’s centre had reopened. The student action came after Monday’s protests in central Tehran by shop-owners and a day ahead of the temporary closure of banks, schools and businesses in the capital and in most provinces to save energy during the bitterly cold weather. The Iranian rial has dropped against the dollar and other world currencies – when the protests erupted on Sunday, the US dollar was trading at around 1.42 million rials, compared to 820,000 rials a year ago – forcing up import prices and hurting retail traders. Israel’s Mossad spy agency issued a direct call on Tuesday urging Iranians to press on with protests, saying it was supporting them “on the ground” as demonstrations spread. Iran, which does not recognise Israel, has long accused it of conducting sabotage operations against its nuclear facilities and assassinating its scientists. Demonstrations first erupted on Sunday at Tehran’s largest mobile phone market, before gaining momentum, though they remained limited in number and confined to central Tehran. The vast majority of shops elsewhere continued to operate as usual. President Masoud Pezeshkian – who has less authority under Iran’s system of government than supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei – met on Tuesday with labour leaders and made proposals to tackle the economic crisis, according to press agency Mehr. “I have asked the interior minister to listen to the legitimate demands of the protesters by engaging in dialogue with their representatives so that the government can do everything in its power to resolve the problems and act responsibly,” he said in a social media post. According to state television, parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also called for “necessary measures focused on increasing people’s purchasing power” but warned against foreign agents and government opponents attempting to exploit the protests. On Monday, the government announced the replacement of the central bank governor with former economy and finance minister Abdolnasser Hemmati. Price fluctuations are paralysing sales of some imported goods, with both sellers and buyers preferring to postpone transactions until the outlook becomes clearer. According to the Etemad newspaper, one trader complained that officials had offered no support to storekeepers battling soaring import costs. “They didn’t even follow up on how the dollar price affected our lives,” he complained, speaking on condition of anonymity. “We had to decide to show our protest. With this dollar price, we can’t even sell a phone case, and the officials don’t care at all that our lives are run by selling mobile phones and accessories.” In December, inflation stood at 52 per cent year-on-year, according to official statistics. But this figure still falls far short of many price increases, especially for basic necessities. The country’s economy, already battered by decades of Western sanctions, was further strained after the United Nations in late September reinstated international sanctions linked to the country’s nuclear programme that were lifted 10 years ago. Western powers and Israel accuse Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies. The current protests against the high cost of living have not reached the level of the nationwide demonstrations that shook Iran in 2022. Those protests were sparked by the death in custody of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code for women. Amini’s death triggered months of unrest, with hundreds of people, including dozens of security personnel, killed and thousands more arrested. In 2019, protests broke out in Iran after the announcement of a sharp increase in petrol prices. The unrest spread to around 100 cities, including Tehran, and left dozens dead. The latest protests came after talks between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump, following which Trump warned Iran of fresh strikes if it rebuilt its nuclear or ballistic missile programmes. Arch-foes Iran and Israel fought a 12-day war this year, after Israel launched a wave of strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities as well as residential areas, saying it aimed to cripple the Islamic Republic’s atomic research and ballistic missile capabilities. Iran responded with drone and missile attacks on Israel. Later in the conflict, the United States joined Israel in briefly targeting Iranian nuclear sites before a ceasefire was declared. Additional reporting by Tribune News Service

Students join protests in Iran as economic hardship fuels discontent

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Iran’s leadership acknowledges protests stem from economic pressures as currency hits a record low

Iran’s leadership acknowledges protests stem from economic pressures as currency hits a record low