Iran’s government said on Tuesday it would seek dialogue with protest leaders after demonstrations in Tehran and other cities over a sharp fall in the value of the national currency, fueling inflation, while the central bank governor resigned.
The protests, which also included traders from Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, took place on Sunday and Monday, according to Iranian state media. This is the latest wave of demonstrations in the Islamic Republic, where periods of unrest have occurred several times in the past years.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a social media post late Monday that he had asked the interior minister to listen to the “legitimate demands” of the protesters. Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said a dialogue mechanism would be set up that would include talks with protest leaders.
– We officially recognize the protests… We hear their voices and know that they arise from natural pressure resulting from the burden on people’s living standards – Mohajerani said on Tuesday in statements carried by state media.
Iran’s rial has been falling as the economy suffers the effects of Western sanctions, and on Monday it hit a record low of around 1,390,000 rials to one US dollar, according to websites that track free market exchange rates.
– On the agenda we have fundamental measures for reforming the monetary and banking system and preserving the purchasing power of citizens – Pezeshkian wrote on the X network.
Iranian media reports that the government’s recent economic liberalization policies have put pressure on the rial market at a free exchange rate, where citizens buy foreign currency.
In 2022, Iran is rocked by nationwide protests over rising prices, including the price of bread, a staple of life.
During the same period and during 2023, the religious authorities faced the most determined protests in years, which erupted after the death of a young Iranian woman of Kurdish origin, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of the morality police, who were tasked with enforcing the strict dress code.
Iran’s security services have suppressed previous protests with violent crackdowns and mass arrests, instead of dialogue.
Iran remains under intense international pressure, with US President Donald Trump saying on Monday that he could support a new wave of Israeli airstrikes if Tehran continues work on ballistic missiles or any nuclear weapons program.
In June, the United States and Israel carried out 12 days of airstrikes against Iran’s military and nuclear facilities, with the aim of stopping, as they claim, attempts to develop the capacity to build an atomic bomb.
Iran maintains that its nuclear energy program is entirely peaceful and that it has never attempted to build nuclear weapons.
(Vijesti.ba)
