Iran protests spread from bazaars to universities; govt offers dialogue - Why they erupted

Iran is currently witnessing massive protests from shopkeepers, bazaar merchants to even students. While the protests started in bazaars, they subsequently spread to at least four Iranian universities as hundreds of students joined the demonstrators over the country's soaring cost of living.

As the protests erupted, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared in a social media post that the government had acknowledged the protests, as he urged the interior minister to listen to the protesters' demands.

“The livelihood of the people is my daily concern. We have fundamental actions on the agenda to reform the monetary and banking system and preserve the purchasing power of the people. I have tasked the Minister of the Interior to hear the legitimate demands of the protesters through dialogue with their representatives, so that the government can act with all its might to resolve problems and respond responsibly,” he said in a post on X.

Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said a dialogue mechanism would be set up and include talks 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,” Fatemeh Mohajerani said.

How protests unfolded

The protests reached at least four universities in Tehran as hundreds of demonstrators marched the streets chanting “Rest in peace Reza Shah” – a reference to the founder of the royal dynasty ousted in the 1979 Islamic revolution.

Social media was also flooded with hundreds of posts in support of the demonstrators. Footage aired on Iranian state television on Monday showed people gathered in central Tehran chanting slogans.

Pezeshkian told trade unions and market activists in a meeting on Tuesday that the government would do its best to resolve their issues and address their concerns, state media reported.

Iran's economy has been in deep trouble for years after US sanctions were reimposed in 2018 when President Donald Trump ended an international deal over the country's nuclear programme during his first term in office.

United Nations sanctions on the country were reimposed in September weeks after the United States forces bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran during its tussle with Israel.

The currency slid to 1.4 million rials to the US dollar on Tuesday according to private exchange platforms, a record low after starting the year at 817,500 rials to the dollar. Monthly annualised inflation figures have not dropped below 36.4% since the Iranian new year started in late March according to official figures.

(With Reuters inputs)