Tehran protests: why are Iranians angry?
Thousands demonstrate in capital after seeing their savings dwindle

Iranians have taken to the streets of Tehran this week in the biggest protests seen in the capital since 2012.
Thousands marched towards the gates of the Iranian parliament on Monday, forcing many traders to shut up shop. Police retaliated with tear gas, dispersing the crowds, but the protests continued yesterday and are spreading to other cities.
So why are Iranians so angry?
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Donald Trump’s announcement last month that the US was withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal has triggered a sharp decline in the value of the Iranian rial, which in turn has seen import costs skyrocket.
There were about 65,000 rials to $1 on Iran’s unofficial currency exchange market prior to Trump’s decision, compared with 90,000 rials as of Monday.
“People in the Middle Eastern nation have watched their savings dwindle,” says Sky News.
There are also fears that the threatened return to US sanctions will cut Iran’s earnings from oil experts, further damaging the already declining economy.
“We are all angry with the economic situation. We cannot continue our businesses like this,” a merchant in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar told Reuters.
President Hassan Rouhani insists his government will be able to withstand the rapid currency drop and any new US sanctions. The Iranian leader spoke out after the Central Bank of Iran announced that it will create a secondary market for foreign exchange to help get around a dollar shortage.
Yesterday Rouhani declared: “We are fighting against the United States, it wants to make an economic war. The US cannot defeat our nation; our enemies are not able to force us to their knees.”
But such reassurances have done little to calm many Iranians’ fears.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Deportations ensnare migrant families, U.S. citizens
Feature Trump's deportation crackdown is sweeping up more than just immigrants as ICE targets citizens, judges and nursing mothers
-
Trump shrugs off warnings over trade war costs
Feature Trump's tariffs are spiraling the U.S. toward an economic crisis as shipments slow down—and China doesn't plan to back down
-
A newly created gasoline giant in the Americas could change the industry landscape
The Explainer Sunoco and Parkland are two of the biggest fuel suppliers in the US and Canada, respectively
-
US, Ukraine sign joint minerals deal
speed read The Trump administration signed a deal with Ukraine giving the US access to its mineral wealth
-
Ukraine-US minerals deal: is Trump turning away from Putin?
Today's Big Question US shows 'exasperation' with Russia and signs agreement with Ukraine in what could be a significant shift in the search for peace
-
What happens if tensions between India and Pakistan boil over?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION As the two nuclear-armed neighbors rattle their sabers in the wake of a terrorist attack on the contested Kashmir region, experts worry that the worst might be yet to come
-
Why Russia removed the Taliban's terrorist designation
The Explainer Russia had designated the Taliban as a terrorist group over 20 years ago
-
Inside the Israel-Turkey geopolitical dance across Syria
THE EXPLAINER As Syria struggles in the wake of the Assad regime's collapse, its neighbors are carefully coordinating to avoid potential military confrontations
-
'Like a sound from hell': Serbia and sonic weapons
The Explainer Half a million people sign petition alleging Serbian police used an illegal 'sound cannon' to disrupt anti-government protests
-
The fight for control of Ukraine's nuclear reactors
The Explainer How serious is Donald Trump about US ownership of Kyiv's nuclear power plants?
-
The El Salvador mega-prison at the centre of Trump's deportation scheme
The Explainer Invoking a 1798 law, the US president has sent hundreds of alleged gang members to high-security prison called 'black hole of human rights'