By Benadeta Mwaura - Reporter
Iran, January 09 2026 - Widespread protests have engulfed Iran for more than a week, becoming the largest public challenge to the Islamic Republic in years. What began as isolated demonstrations over economic hardship has rapidly evolved into broad nationwide unrest with political overtones, prompting an internet blackout, heavy security crackdowns, and warnings from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The protests began in late December 2025 in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, a historic commercial hub, as shopkeepers and merchants staged strikes and walkouts. Their grievances were less about ideology and more about survival: record inflation, a collapsing currency and a sharp loss in purchasing power.
Iran’s currency, the rial, hit unprecedented lows, trading around 1.45–1.50 million rials to the U.S. dollar, exacerbating an already dire economic situation. Inflation surged above 40 %, and food and essential goods prices spiked sharply, pushing ordinary expenses out of reach for many families.
This economic downturn, a culmination of years of stagnation, recurrent international sanctions and structural mismanagement, put ordinary Iranians under extraordinary strain. From Bazaar to Nation Wide Unrest Although the protests started with merchants, they quickly spread to multiple cities across all 31 provinces.
Demonstrations reached major urban centres including Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Mashhad, and drew in a diverse cross section of society, students, workers, bazaaris, and youth frustrated with the daily squeeze on their livelihoods. What distinguishes these protests from earlier movements is their economic origin turning political.
Demonstrators didn’t just demand relief from rising prices; many began challenging Iran’s political system, chanting antigovernment slogans and even invoking the exiled crown prince Reza Pahlavi, a rare public rejection of the Islamic Republic’s governing order.
Political and Structural Drivers
Analysts say the protests reflect deeper dissatisfaction than past unrest:
Loss of trust in government: Iranians increasingly question whether leaders can protect livelihoods, stabilize the rial, or deliver basic services. Sanctions and economic isolation: Renewed U.N. sanctions and persistent U.S. sanctions on oil exports have crippled state revenue, restricting foreign currency inflows that historically supported the economy.
Inflation and living costs: Food and medicine prices have soared, hitting working families hardest.
Currency freefall: The rial’s collapse has disrupted commerce and savings, making everyday economic choices unpredictable.
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Economists and political commentators say these conditions have fundamentally weakened the regime’s social contract with its people. Unlike earlier unrest triggered by specific issues, such as the 2022 “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests, the current movement is rooted in everyday economic realities that affect broad segments of society.
Government Response: Blackouts and Blame
Facing the rapid spread of protests, Iranian authorities took drastic measures to contain dissent. The government cut off internet and phone services nationwide, a tactic it has used before to hinder communication and media coverage of unrest.
In speeches, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other officials framed the protests as being influenced by foreign powers, accusing protesters of acting under external direction and trying to “ruin their own streets” to please foreign leaders.
Despite official rhetoric, the deep economic roots of the unrest, and independent reporting from rights groups, show the demonstrations are driven primarily by domestic hardship and frustration with rising living costs.
Escalation and Casualties
By early January, rights groups reported dozens of deaths and thousands of arrests as security forces clashed with protesters. In some provinces, Kurdish and other ethnic opposition groups called for general strikes, signalling the movement’s widening reach.
Human rights organisations also report that clashes between demonstrators and security forces have become more intense, with both sides suffering casualties. The unrest marks one of the largest waves of demonstrations seen in Iran since the 2022–23 protests following the death of Mahsa Amini, but with a different character: it stems from economic desperation rather than social or cultural flashpoints, and it rapidly embraced explicit political demands.
Experts warn that continued economic deterioration, without meaningful reforms or relief, could deepen public discontent and further erode the regime’s legitimacy. This economicpolitical convergence makes the situation in Iran both a domestic crisis and a potential flashpoint with broader regional implications.
