Protests Spread Across Iran as Strikes, Closures Take Over Tehran

Iran is facing widening protests and strikes overnight into Tuesday, as demonstrations spread across Tehran and several major cities due to a sharp economic downturn and growing public anger over living conditions.

What began as protests over the collapsing currency has quickly spread into wider unrest, with street demonstrations, labor actions, and coordinated market closures. In Tehran, protesters confronted security forces in central districts, while similar clashes were reported in Mashhad and other provincial cities. Security forces used tear gas and batons in an effort to disperse the crowds, according to reports from the scene.

The protests have been accompanied by widespread economic disruption. Large sections of Tehran’s Grand Bazaar were shut down, along with commercial districts in the city center. Merchants, who are viewed as a key pillar of regime stability, joined the protests by closing shops and encouraging others to do the same. Video footage circulating online showed protesters chanting slogans calling for unity and openly confronting security forces.

A significant escalation came when Iran’s truck drivers’ union announced its support for the protesters. In a public statement, the union declared that “the unity of the bazaar and the drivers is the only way out of this situation.” Truck drivers play a central role in transporting fuel, food, and goods across the country, and their involvement raises the prospect of greater supply disruptions if strikes expand.

In response to the unrest, authorities announced that Tehran Province will be officially closed on Wednesday. According to a statement published by the regime’s state news agency, all administrative, educational, and commercial centers will shut down. According to the regime, the shutdowns were meant to reduce energy demand in order to prevent power outages and gas supply failures. Similar closures were announced in several other provinces, also framed as energy-management measures.

Universities have emerged as another focal point. Student protests were reported near Tehran University, while security forces restricted access to dormitories and increased their presence on campuses. Iranian authorities have historically treated student activism as a sensitive trigger for broader unrest.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said he had instructed the interior minister to listen to protesters’ “legitimate demands,” marking his first public response since the protests intensified. At the same time, IRGC-linked media described the demonstrations as being driven by small organized groups and warned against what it called attempts to turn economic grievances into political instability.

The protests have been driven largely by Iran’s deepening economic crisis. The Iranian rial has collapsed to around 1.38–1.45 million rials per U.S. dollar, a historic low representing a 15–20 percent drop in less than a month. Since mid-2025, the rial has fallen by roughly 40 percent, while annual inflation has surged above 42 percent, sharply eroding purchasing power.

Economists attribute the collapse to a combination of long-standing sanctions limiting oil revenues and access to foreign currency, political instability following conflicts earlier this year, chronic budget deficits, and economic mismanagement. 

For now, the regime’s decision to shut down Tehran may slow activity temporarily, but it has not addressed the underlying economic pressures driving the unrest. With protests spreading across social sectors and labor groups signaling support,Iranian authorities are struggling to contain a crisis that continues to spread across the country.