[IsraelTimes] A video of a protester sitting in the street and facing down police on motorbikes during demonstrations that erupted in Tehran in recent days has gone viral on social media, with some observers calling it Iran’s “Tiananmen moment.”
Protesters, including shopkeepers and university students, have been rallying against economic hardship in Iran since Sunday.
The viral footage shows a person sitting cross-legged on the road with their head bowed before more than 20 police officers on motorbikes, wearing helmets and dressed all in black. Behind the protester, a crowd runs to escape clouds of tear gas, the footage shows.
Some internet users compare the person to the man who faced a column of tanks in Beijing during the deadly Tiananmen Square crackdown in 1989, following demonstrations demanding greater political freedoms.
An AFP investigation found that the Iranian video was posted on social media at around 1330 GMT yesterday, day two of the protests that began at Tehran’s largest mobile phone market before spreading. AFP was able to confirm that the video was shot on Jomhouri Avenue in central Tehran, near the mobile phone shopping center.
The video and screenshots of the scene have since garnered thousands of likes on Instagram and other social media networks.
Third Day of Protests in Iran Marked by “Death to the Dictator” Chants Across Major Cities
The region is watching closely to see what would-be hegemon Iran does. [KhaamaPress] Protests in Iran entered a third day as demonstrators across major cities shut shops, rallied publicly, and chanted “Death to the dictator” over economic hardship.
On the third day of nationwide protests, Iranian shopkeepers shut down businesses and held demonstrations in cities including Tehran, Isfahan, Ahvaz, Shiraz, Kermanshah, and Najafabad. Protesters chanted anti-government slogans such as “Death to the dictator” and “Death to the principle of velayat-e faqih.”
Demonstrators also voiced economic and political grievances, chanting “Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, my life for Iran” and “Death to this inflation, we march until overthrow.” Some crowds openly expressed nostalgia for the monarchy, chanting slogans praising Reza Shah.
The strike began on Sunday in response to a sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial and worsening economic conditions. On Tuesday, the U.S. dollar surged past 124,000 tomans, marking a new historic low for Iran’s currency.
According to Iran’s Central Bank, the official exchange rate at the currency and gold exchange center exceeded 124,140 tomans per dollar. The rial has been on a steady downward trend for months, but the latest spike represents an unprecedented collapse.
Rapid currency depreciation has fueled soaring inflation, officially reported at over 42 percent annually. Prices of basic goods, including food and medicine, have risen sharply, intensifying public anger and economic hardship.
Iranian bazaars have historically played a central role in political movements, including the 1979 revolution. Shopkeeper strikes are widely viewed as a powerful symbol of economic protest and social resistance.
Iran’s economy continues to struggle under international sanctions, mismanagement, and declining oil revenues, leaving the government with limited options to stabilize the currency or control inflation.
As protests spread, security forces were deployed across major cities. Reports indicate heavy security presence in central Tehran, Mashhad, Gorgan, and other urban areas, with videos showing live fire directed at protesters in parts of the capital.
International reactions have intensified, with foreign officials condemning the use of force against demonstrators and voicing support for Iranian protesters. Analysts say sustained unrest could further strain Tehran’s political stability and global standing.
Iranian students protest in Tehran and Isfahan as government offers dialogue
[IsraelTimes] Student protests erupt at universities in the capital Tehran and the central city of Isfahan, decrying declining living standards following demonstrations by shopkeepers, local media report.
“Demonstrations took place in Tehran at the universities of Beheshti, Khajeh Nasir, Sharif, Amir Kabir, Science and Culture, and Science and Technology, as well as the Isfahan University of Technology,” reports Ilna, a news agency affiliated with the labour movement.
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Iran’s government said earlier it would seek dialogue with protest leaders after demonstrations in Tehran and other cities over a plunge in the currency’s value that has accelerated inflation, with the central bank chief resigning.
Protests, which included shopkeepers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, were held on Sunday and Monday according to Iranian state media, the latest demonstrations in the Islamic Republic, where bouts of unrest have repeatedly erupted in recent years.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a social media post late on Monday that he had asked the interior minister to listen to “legitimate demands” of protesters. Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said a dialogue mechanism would be set up and include talks with protest leaders.
“We officially recognize the protests… We hear their voices and we know that this originates from natural pressure arising from the pressure on people’s livelihoods,” she says today in comments carried by state media.
The Iranian rial has been falling as the economy has suffered from the impact of Western sanctions, sinking to a record low on Monday at around 1,390,000 to the US dollar, according to websites monitoring open market rates.
“We have fundamental measures on the agenda to reform the monetary and banking system and maintain the purchasing power of the people,” Pezeshkian posted on X.
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