Five things to know about the protests in Iran | News of the demonstrations

Protests over Iran’s soaring cost of living entered their sixth day after the rial fell to a record low against the US dollar in late December.

After several deaths following clashes between demonstrators and security services, the government of President Masoud Pezeshkian appeals in favor of unity and has blamed economic pressure on those he considers Tehran’s “enemies”. Despite the government’s promises to implement economic reforms and make greater efforts to fight corruption, protests continued.

So far, at least seven people have been killed and 44 people have been arrested since Tehran traders closed their businesses on Sunday to protest Iran’s economic crisis.

The wave of protest continued to rise, with economic demonstrations turning into political protests as unrest spread across the country.

How big is the current wave of protests, what is the reality of the demonstrators’ demands and where could it end? Here are five things you need to know:

Cost of living concerns are real

Iran is one of the most sanctioned countries in the world. A series of international restrictions mean Tehran struggles to access international financial markets and freezes on foreign assets.. The country’s growing dependence on imports is worsening the situation and fueling inflation.

SundayThe Iranian rial fell to 1.42 million against the US dollar, a drop of 56 percent in just six months. The falling currency has led to inflation, with food prices rising an average of 72 percent compared to last year.

“If only the government, instead of focusing only on fuel, could lower the price of other products,” Majid Ebrahimi, taxi driver said Al Jazeera. “The prices of dairy products have increased six times this year and those of other products more than ten times. »

These events are important

What began on Sunday as a simple demonstration against the collapse of the Iranian economy by traders in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar has spread to 17 of 31 Iranian provinces on New Year’s Eve, with students and protesters from across Iranian society joining the wave of demonstrations.

Thousands of people mobilized across the country and security forces responded forcefully in some places.

On Thursday, Iran’s semi-official Fars news agency reported that three people had died in clashes between security forces and protesters in Lordegan, southwest Iran. Three more deaths were reported in Azna and another in Kouhdasht in central Iran.

“Some protesters started throwing stones at administrative buildings in the city, including the provincial governor’s office, the mosque, the Martyrs’ Foundation, the town hall and the banks,” Fars reported of the protests in Lordegan, adding that police responded with tear gas.

It is difficult to know how the government will react

Tehran’s previous hardline responses to public unrest have been marked by the deaths of protesters. However, so far, despite a number of isolated clashes between protesters and security forces, Pezeshkian’s government has refrained from outright repression and appears willing to listen to the protesters’ “legitimate demands.”

In an effort To address protesters’ concerns, the government appointed a new central bank governor on Wednesday. Abdolnaser Hemmati pledged to restore economic stability after the dramatic collapse of the rial.

On Tuesday, the Ministry of Higher Education dismissed campus security officials at the University of Tehran and two other major universities. Local media reported that their dismissal was due to “a history of misconduct and mishandling of recent student protests.”

Speaking Thursday at a ceremony in Tehran to mark the assassination of the commander-in-chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Djibouti and Somalia during a US drone attack five years ago, Pezeshkian also used the opportunity to highlight his government’s commitment to economic reforms and the fight against corruption.

“We are determined to eradicate all forms of rent-seeking, smuggling and corruption,” he told participants. “Those who benefit from these rents will resist and try to create obstacles, but we will continue on this path.”

“We must all come together to solve the problems of the people and defend the rights of the oppressed and the underprivileged,” he added.

Protecting people’s livelihoods is a “red line” for his government, he said.

Mass protests have already taken place

Mass protests erupted across Iran in 2022 following the death in custody of a 22-year-old. Mahsa Aminiwho was arrested in September of the same year for not wearing her hijab correctly.

Protests first erupted after Amini’s funeral in the western town of Saqqez, when women tore off their headscarves in a show of solidarity with the dead woman before widespread in much of the country.

Iran’s brutal response to the unrest has included the arbitrary arrest of tens of thousands of people, the massive use of tear gas, the firing of live ammunition and, according to human rights organizations, the unlawful deaths of hundreds of people.

A 2024 The investigation by United Nations experts into the government’s response found that its actions amounted to “crimes against humanity”, a claim dismissed by authorities in Tehran as “false” and “biased”.

The so-called morality police were briefly suspended in December 2022 after the protests, before being reinstated the following year. However, enforcement of dress codes has since become significantly more relaxed, although many women still fear a resurgence.

These protests could intensify

On Thursday, US President Donald Trump – who in 2018 unilaterally withdrew the United States from a nuclear deal with Iran limiting Iranian nuclear development in exchange for sanctions relief – commented on the unrest. He posted on his Truth Social platform: “If Iran shoots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, as is their habit, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We’re locked, loaded and ready to go.

On Thursday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry published on its website Create an account on social networks pre-revolutionary Iranian images of a lion and sun with the lion’s paw resting on an hourglass emblazoned with the country’s current flag. The message read: “The rise of Iranian lions and lionesses to fight against darkness,” continuing: “Light triumphs over darkness.”

In June, Israel and the United States launched attacks against Iran in a 12 days war between Iran and Israel.

Although that conflict ended with what the United States called a decisive strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, speculation Israel’s preparation for further strikes continued.

This week, the American news site Axios reported that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed further strikes against Iran as well as the possibility of targeting Tehran’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah.

Responding on social media, Pezeshkian wrote: “The response of the Islamic Republic of Iran to any cruel aggression will be harsh and discouraging.”