Tehran, Dec 29 (EFE).– Protests in Iran over the deteriorating economic situation continued Monday for a second day, spreading from Tehran to other areas of the country.
The demonstrations were surrounded by security forces, who in some cases fired tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.
On Monday, merchants in the Grand Bazaar in southern Tehran closed their businesses and staged a demonstration, according to official media outlets including IRNA.
Those dissatisfied with the economic situation chanted slogans such as “close, close,” urging other stores that were open to join the protest.
Videos released by activists on social media showed the presence of security forces at the scene, and an image of a man sitting on the ground in front of them, covering his head with his coat, has gone viral.
The demonstrations spread to other parts of the city, including the Alaeddin and Charsu mobile phone shopping centers, the Amin Hozur appliance market, and the Delevarán furniture market, among others.
Other images showed people shouting slogans against the authorities at a Tehran subway station.
Rallies were also reported in Malard (Tehran province), Karaj (north), Kerman (southeast), Zanjan and Hamadan (northwest), and the island of Qeshm (south).
Protesters chanted slogans against the Islamic Republic, such as “death to the dictator,” but also pro-monarchy slogans, such as “This is the last battle, Pahlavi will return,” in reference to the Pahlavi dynasty overthrown by the Islamic Revolution of 1979.
Some videos showed the authorities firing tear gas to disperse the protesters.
On the second consecutive day of protests, the Revolutionary Guard warned that it would oppose “any attempt at sedition, chaos, or threat to security.”
The Tasnim agency, linked to the Revolutionary Guard, claimed that “anti-Iranian media and foreign security organizations, through some of their internal agents, have been present at some rallies to turn the protests into riots.”
Even so, it is reported that merchants will continue their protests for a third day on Tuesday, while the student website Amirkabir announced that students from Shahid Beheshti and Amirkabir universities in Tehran will also hold a rally.
Demonstrations began on Sunday at several shopping centers in Tehran due to the volatility of the national currency, which has been falling against foreign currencies, especially the dollar.
Merchants believe it is not in their best interest to sell their goods, as replacing them would be more expensive.
The Iranian currency hit a new all-time low of 1,440,000 rials per dollar on Sunday, but recovered on Monday, trading at 1,360,000 rials.
In addition, recent data from the Iranian Statistics Center indicate that point-to-point inflation exceeded 52% between November and December, which has drastically reduced the population’s purchasing power. EFE
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