Iran Protests Erupt Over Economic Woes

Protests over Iran's escalating economic woes erupted in Tehran on Sunday, drawing shopkeepers and traders into the streets before spreading to university campuses nationwide, as the government pledged dialogue to address demonstrators' grievances.

The demonstrations began in the capital's largest mobile phone market, where vendors shuttered businesses in response to hyperinflation and a plummeting rial currency, which has lost nearly half its value against the U.S. dollar this year, reaching a record low of 1.4 million rials per dollar on Tuesday. Inflation hit 42 percent in December, driving up prices for food and essentials and straining households across the country. By Tuesday, hundreds of students had joined the rallies at least at four universities in Tehran, including prestigious institutions, with reports of similar actions at up to 10 campuses in cities such as Isfahan, Yazd, and Zanjan. Demonstrators marched along central streets like Saadi and near the Grand Bazaar, chanting slogans including "Rest in peace Reza Shah," a nod to the founder of the pre-1979 monarchy ousted in the Islamic Revolution.

President Masoud Pezeshkian acknowledged the unrest in a social media...