Iran crisis deepens – protests spread with chants of “death to the dictator” | BBC News

Mass protests and strikes in Iran over inflation and currency devaluation have spread from the capital, Tehran, to several other cities on a third day of unrest.

The protests began when shopkeepers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar staged a strike after the Iranian rial hit a record low against the US dollar. Iran is facing a deepening economic, fuelled by international sanctions and inflation has been rising sharply.

Videos verified by BBC Persian have shown demonstrations in the cities of Karaj, Hamedan, Qeshm, Malard, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Shiraz and Yazd. University students have joined the protests, chanting anti-government slogans including “death to the dictator" – a reference to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who holds ultimate power in Iran. Security forces have been using tear gas in an attempt to disperse the protesters.

The Iranian government said it "recognises the protests" and would listen "with patience, even if it is confronted with harsh voices". President Masoud Pezeshkian wrote on X late on Monday that he had instructed the interior minister to hold talks with what he described as "representatives" of the protesters so that measures could be taken "to resolve the problems and act responsibly".

Some protesters have been chanting slogans in support of the son of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was overthrown in the 1979 Islamic Revolution, including "Long live the Shah".

Clive Myrie presents BBC News at Ten reporting by Parham Ghobadi of the BBC Persian Service.

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