Iran erupts into fresh protests as currency falls to record low, protesters take to streets in Tehran | Top points

As people took to streets amid Iran's poor economical condition, several footage surfacing online show protestors clashing with security forces.

Several major cities across Iran, including capital Tehran, erupted into protests on Monday after Iran’s currency plunged to an all-time low against the US dollar and the head of the country's central bank, Mohammad Reza Farzin, reportedly resigned.

People walk past stores as the value of the Iranian Rial drops, in Tehran, Iran, on December 30, 2025. (via REUTERS)

In an attempt to appease the protestors, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that people's livelihood is his “daily concern” and called the protestors' demands “legitimate”. He said that he has tasked Iran's interior minister “to hear the legitimate demands of the protesters through dialogue with their representatives, so that the government can act with all its might to resolve problems and respond responsibly.”

Here are top points on protests in Iran-

• Protests in several cities across Iran reportedly erupted on Monday, though news agency Reuters reported that protests were held on both Sunday and Monday, citing Iranian state media.
• The protests were triggered by the blow to Iranian economy due to western sanctions as the country's currency, rial, hit record low on Monday at around 1,390,000 to the US dollar, according to open market rates monitoring websites, the Reuters report added.

• Traders in Iran shut their shops on Monday and urged others to do the same, news agency Associated Press reported citing witnesses.
• The AP report added that on Sunday, the scale of the protests was much smaller as it was limited to only two major mobile markets in Tehran.
• The food prices in Iran, which houses some 92 million people, shot up due to the falling rial rate, reported Bloomberg.

• As people took to streets amid Iran's poor economical condition, several footage surfacing online show protestors clashing with security forces. Local media reported that multiple arrests were made during the protests.
• Responding to the discontent among the population, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Tuesday that the government has “fundamental actions” on the agenda to “reform the monetary and banking system and preserve the purchasing power of the people”.
• “The livelihood of the people is my daily concern. We have fundamental actions on the agenda to reform the monetary and banking system and preserve the purchasing power of the people. I have tasked the Minister of the Interior to hear the legitimate demands of the protesters through dialogue with their representatives, so that the government can act with all its might to resolve problems and respond responsibly,” he wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter).
• Apart from the President, a Iranian government spokesperson said that the authorities planned to engage with the demonstrators through dialogue.
• “We see, hear, and acknowledge the protests, pressures, and crises…When people raise their voices, it means significant pressure is being put on them. We’re aware of the current situation and do not defend it," Bloomberg quoted Fatemeh Mohajerani as saying on Tuesday.

(With inputs from AP, Reuters, Bloomberg)