Protests Expand in Iran

Iran's plunging currency has now sparked three straight days of protests that are rippling far beyond Tehran, the BBC reports. The unrest began Sunday, when merchants in the capital's Grand Bazaar shuttered their shops after the rial hit a record low against the US dollar on the open market. Demonstrations and strikes have since surfaced in at least eight other cities, including Isfahan, Shiraz, Kermanshah, and Yazd, with verified videos showing crowds in the streets and police firing tear gas to break them up. University students have joined in and expanded the protests to encompass more than just the economy, Fox News reports, with some reportedly chanting "Death to the dictator," aimed at Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and others reviving monarchist slogans such as "Long live the Shah."

President Masoud Pezeshkian has struck a conciliatory tone in public, with the government saying it "recognizes the protests" and will listen "with patience." He wrote on X that he ordered the interior minister to meet with what he called protesters' representatives to seek "responsible" solutions. Pezeshkian also accepted the resignation of central bank governor Mohammadreza Farzin and brought back former economy and finance minister Abdolnasser Hemmati to lead the bank.

The protests are drawing attention abroad, too. Exiled royal Reza Pahlavi posted, "I am with you," telling demonstrators that "victory is ours" and warning that the economy will keep deteriorating as long as the current leadership remains. The US State Department's Persian-language account praised protesters' "courage" and voiced support for those seeking "a better future." Iran's troubles were also discussed at a Florida meeting between US President Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, where Trump blasted Iran's economy and signaled he'd consider backing further Israeli strikes if Tehran rebuilds its missile or nuclear programs.

Pezeshkian on Tuesday vowed any "oppressive act of aggression" against Iran would draw a "severe and regret-inducing" response, while Khamenei has previously claimed foreign enemies are hoping protests like these will one day bring his government down. The protests appear to be the largest since the uprising in 2022 and 2023 over the murder of a woman at the hands of the country's "morality police," NBC News reports.