Protests spread for third day as Iran’s currency tumbles to record lows

Protests and strikes in Iran over inflation and currency devaluation have spread from the capital Tehran to several other cities for a third day in a row.

The protests began on Sunday, when the Iranian rial hit a record low against the dollar on the open market and shopkeepers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar went on strike.

Since then, videos verified by BBC Persian showed demonstrations in the cities of Karaj, Hamadan, Qeshm, Malad, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Shiraz and Yazd. Police also used tear gas to try to disperse the demonstrators.

The Iranian government said it “acknowledges the protests” and will “listen patiently, even in the face of harsh voices.”

President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X on Monday evening that he had instructed the interior minister to hold talks with what he called “representatives” of the protesters in order to take steps to “solve the problem and act responsibly.”

He also accepted the resignation of Mohammadreza Farzin, governor of the Central Bank of Iran, and appointed former Economy and Finance Minister Abdel Nasser Hemati to replace him.

University students also joined the protests, chanting anti-government slogans including “Death to the dictator” – a reference to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s ultimate leader.

Some protesters also chanted slogans in support of the son of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic revolution, including “Long live the Shah.”

Reza Pahlavi, who lives in exile in the United States, responded, writing on the X: “I stand with you. Victory belongs to us because our cause is just and because we are united.”

“As long as this regime remains in power, the country’s economic situation will continue to deteriorate,” he added.

The U.S. State Department’s X Farsi account also expressed support for the protests.

The report said the United States “commends their courage” and stands with those seeking “dignity and a better future” after years of failed policies and economic mismanagement.

Iran is reportedly high on the agenda for Monday’s meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida.

At a subsequent joint press conference, Trump declined to say whether he supported regime change in Iran, but said: “They have a lot of problems: huge inflation, their economy is collapsing, their economy is not good, and I know people are not very happy.”

The president also said he might support a new round of Israeli air strikes against Iran if it rebuilds its ballistic missile or nuclear programs.

“If they continue to use missiles, yes. Nuclear, fast, okay? One is absolutely yes. The other is, we will do it immediately.”

During the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June, the United States carried out air strikes on Iran’s main uranium enrichment facilities. Iran insists its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.

President Pezeshkian vowed on Tuesday that Iran’s response to “any act of oppressive aggression” would be “harsh and regrettable.”

Iran’s supreme leader has repeatedly stated that the Israeli government hopes that large-scale protests will break out in Iran during the war and the regime will be overthrown.

“They want to foment rebellion in the streets… but people will never be influenced by what the enemy wants,” Khamenei said in September.