Iranian protests expand beyond the economy as students demand freedom, end to regime rule

The protests began Sunday in downtown Tehran as the Iranian currency hit a new low, but they have since expanded in size and scope, moving beyond the narrower cause of the economy to "freedom and equality" and an end to the regime, evident in the slogans protesters are chanting. Many shop owners in two major malls in downtown Tehran and in other cities have closed their stores and joined the demonstrations, as severe uncertainty remains in the country’s currency trade market following a sharp decline in the value of the rial, the national currency. The ongoing protests are the biggest Iran has seen since the nationwide protests in 2021 and 2022 following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in a hospital in Tehran after she was arrested by police for not fully following the sharia-based law of the Islamic Republic that women wear the hijab.

Author: Somayeh Malekian

---