But in recent days, the situation has grown acute, with the Iranian rial’s value falling sharply, repeatedly reaching record lows. It was a rare instance in the history of Iran’s Islamic government, established in 1979, that protests had been sparked by the country’s “bazaari” merchant class. From the Sunday spark, the protests grew quickly in size and spread widely. And on Tuesday, videos showed that protests had spread to other major cities, including Kermanshah, Shiraz, Yazd and Isfahan. The guild representing Iranian truckers put out a statement in support of the bazaar protests but stopped short of announcing its own strike.

Source: Washington Post January 01, 2026 07:42 UTC