In Iran, the tide of protest has continued to rise with economic demonstrations morphing into political protests as unrest has spread across the country. What began with shopkeepers striking in Tehran over alleged collapse of the economy has since spread to 17 of Iran’s 31 provinces, largely in the west, in the most serious challenge to Iran’s clerical establishment since the nationwide protests of 2022. On Sunday, the Iranian rial dropped to 1.42 million against the US dollar – a 56 percent drop in value in just six months. The plummeting currency has driven inflation with food prices soaring by an average of 72 percent compared with last year.
The deterioration of the economic conditions is understandable as Iran is one of the most sanctioned countries in the world because of its nuclear programme, struggling to access international financial markets and frozen foreign assets. The economy came under further strains due to the last conflict with Israel, draining available resources. President Pezeshkian has tried to pacify protestors by expressing commitment of his government to economic reforms and addressing corruption, adding he is determined to eradicate all forms of rent-seeking, smuggling and bribery In an effort to address protesters’ concerns, the government appointed a new governor of the central bank on Wednesday. Abdolnaser Hemmati has pledged to restore economic stability after the rial’s dramatic collapse. However, it is understood that there is no overnight solution to the problems of the people, especially in the presence of a highly hostile posture by some important countries of the world that have a greater say in global affairs. No doubt, protest is the right of Iranian people but more important is the fact that it is purely an internal affair of the country and direct or indirect attempts by some countries to fan the unrest are totally unacceptable. That the protests are being used to bring about a regime change in Iran is evident from the statements emanating from Washington and Tel Aviv. United States President Donald Trump said on Friday that the United States is “locked and loaded” to respond if Iran kills protesters, prompting Tehran to warn that intervention would destabilize the region. Head of Iran´s top security body Ali Larijani has warned Trump that intervention by the US in the domestic problem corresponds to chaos in the entire region and the destruction of the US interests. Iran’s United Nations ambassador Amir Saeed Iravani has written to the UN secretary-general and the president of the UN Security Council (UNSC), urging them to condemn “unlawful threats” towards Tehran from United States President Donald Trump amid ongoing protests in the country. Apart from Washington, Tehran is also facing an aggressive social media campaign from Israel. Israeli government accounts and officials publicly encouraged the demonstrators, framing the unrest as the beginning of the end for the Islamic Republic. The Mossad’s official Farsi-language account posted on Monday: “Come together to the streets. It’s time. We are with you — not just from afar and in words. We are with you on the ground as well.” Iran’s security concerns are genuine as a few days back, the US news website Axios reported that Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed further strikes on Iran as well as potentially targeting Tehran’s Lebanese ally Hezbollah. As some countries are in search of excuses to meddle into internal affairs of Iran, aggravate the crisis and destabilize the government, dialogue is the best course both for the government and protestors. The Iranian government has already declared it “recognizes the protests” and would listen “with patience, even if it is confronted with harsh voices” and therefore, talks should be held with representatives of the protestors and a strategy formulated to respond to their economy-related demands.
