Mass demonstrations in Tehran due to the sharp fall in the value of the rial

Demonstrators are calling for the resignation of President Masoud Pezeshkian and chanting other anti-government slogans. The police use means to disperse demonstrations. The legal system warns of penalties for those who contribute to “economic chaos.”

Government media claim that the protests are inspired from abroad. Fars, an agency linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, says it is part of a wider campaign to turn criticism of the economy into political unrest.

On December 28, the national currency exchange rate fell to 1,445,000 rials per dollar. Since the beginning of the year, inflation in Iran, according to official data, has amounted to 52%, and the cost of food has increased by two-thirds. The President admitted that the state is not able to compensate citizens for rising prices.