Iran Protest: In Tehran, thousands of Iranian students staged street protests against economic hardship and growing inflation.
What’s the Iran Protest All About?
The Iranian Rial plunged to an all-time low against the United States dollar. In recent times, one USD has gone equivalent to 42,125 Rials.
This forced Mohammad Reza Farzin, the head of Iran’s central bank, to render his resignation.
What did Iran President Said?
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian remarked that the livelihood of every Iranian is his “daily concern” and said the protestors are rightly and legitimately protesting. Pezeshkian said he has asked the Interior Minister of Iran to hear the demands of the protestors.
After growing inflation, traders in the country shut their shops. Protests erupted at ten universities in Iran, including 7 in Tehran. Security forces and riot police were deployed around some universities and major intersections in the capital city of Tehran.
The nationwide protests led to the replacement of the central bank governor with former economy and finance minister Abdolnasser Hemmati.
According to official statistics, the country’s economy is struggling. Inflation in December stood at 52 percent year-on-year. The economy of Iran has long been battered by decades of sanctions by Western countries, especially the United States. The country’s economic prospects strained further when the United Nations reinstated international sanctions on the country in September.
The nationwide protests of Iran remind the world of similar agitations in Nepal and Bangladesh where Gen Z led protests led to toppling of the union governments.
