Iranian authorities have offered conciliatory gestures as protests triggered by a collapsing economy spread from Tehran shopkeepers to cities and university campuses. The unrest was sparked by a steep fall in the rial and has included chants of "death to the dictator," reflecting growing anger at the regime. Long-running nuclear sanctions and the legacy of heavy-handed crackdowns in 2009 and 2022 have intensified public frustration.
Iran Protests Over Collapsing Economy Spread to Cities and Universities — Anger at Regime Intensifies
A chart showing the GDP per capita for Iran and several other Middle Eastern nations.
Iranian authorities have made conciliatory gestures as they seek to contain growing demonstrations sparked by a deteriorating economy and a sharp fall in the value of the rial.
What began as protests by Tehran shopkeepers angered by the plunging currency has spread to multiple cities and university campuses. Some demonstrators chanted "death to the dictator," a slogan that signals widening public anger that now appears directed at the ruling establishment as well as economic conditions.
What’s Driving The Unrest
The government is under sustained economic pressure from long-running international sanctions tied to its nuclear program, contributing to currency instability and higher costs for ordinary Iranians. The protests also reflect accumulated grievances from successive crackdowns on dissent — notably after the 2009 election widely seen as neither free nor fair, and the nationwide unrest in 2022 following the death in police custody of a woman detained for an alleged headscarf violation.
Authorities’ conciliatory moves aim to calm tensions, but the spread of demonstrations to universities suggests the unrest taps into deeper political and social frustrations that may be harder to contain.
