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Raucous protests erupted across Iran over the nation’s severely battered economy that’s made life unaffordable for many of its people as the regime’s leaders spun into damage control this week.
Protests — led by traders and shopkeepers — flared up in Tehran and other cities Monday with students from several universities joining in the heated rallies by Tuesday.
The country has faced a double-whammy of a crippling currency and sky-high inflation – a predicament that can’t be ignored by top Iranian officials, experts said.
“These days, even hanging out with friends feels restricted, as we’re constantly calculating like human calculators whether we can squeeze in the cost of a simple coffee,” sales manager Omid, 42, told the New York Times.
The value of his monthly income has fallen from the equivalent of $300 per month to $200 per month in the span of two months.
Another struggling Iranian, Mariam, 41, told the outlet she’s also needed to tighten her spending.
“Things have gotten so expensive that over the past few days when I had guests, I was constantly crunching numbers to ensure I wouldn’t run out of money before the end of the month,” she said.
Iran’s currency, the rial, was trading at a stunning 1.38 million to a dollar on Monday. In 2002, the rial was trading at around $430,000 to the dollar.
Meanwhile, prices for food and other bare necessities have also skyrocketed with the inflation rate sharply rising to 42.2% compared to the same time period last year.
Earlier this month, Iran bumped up gas prices for the first time since 2019, which was met with anger from the public.
The protests in response to the lousy economic conditions have been fierce and in some instances police have shot tear gas into the crowd to disperse demonstrators.
Some students were booming with chants of “Death to the dictator” in reference to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to the BBC.
Video also shows scores of protesters chanting “Rest in peace Reza Shah,” in reference to the founder of the royal dynasty thrown from power in the 1979 Islamic revolution.
While Iranian officials have typically attempted to clamp down ruthlessly on open dissent, Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian sought to appease protesters, claiming the government would listen to their “legitimate demands.”
“We officially recognize the protests … We hear their voices and we know that this originates from natural pressure arising from the pressure on people’s livelihoods,” said a government spokesperson through state media on Tuesday.
The country’s head of the Central Bank also stepped down, according to state TV.
Iranians fanned across social media voicing support for the protests, with one, Soroosh Dadkhah arguing the high prices and rampant corruption has led people “to the point of explosion.”
The leader of a London-based think tank that focuses on Iran’s economy told the New York Times many leaders in the Middle Eastern country are beginning to understand that “their failure to listen to and meet the demands of large parts of Iranian society has undermined their legitimacy and even their authority.”
“They are beginning to reckon with this fact in a haphazard and belated way,” said Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, the chief executive of the Bourse and Bazaar Foundation.
Iran’s economy has faced worsening conditions after US sanctions were reimposed in 2018 during President Trump’s first term when he ended the Obama-era nuclear agreement.
Sanctions from the United Nations were also slapped on Iran in September, which further threw the country into despair.
Iran also faces another possible conflict with Israel after its 12-day war in June with market anxiety growing over whether the confrontation could pull in the United States.
This week’s roiling rallies are the biggest since the 22-year-old Mahsa Jina Amini died in police custody after the country’s morality police accused her of not wearing her hijab properly and arresting her.
With Post wires
English (US)