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‘Death To The Dictator:’ Iranians Defy Regime For Fourth Consecutive Day Amid Economic Turmoil
Tens of thousands of Iranians closed out 2025 on Wednesday with a fourth consecutive day of protests, as demonstrations sparked by the country’s collapsing economy escalated into open anti-regime unrest.
The protests, beginning in Tehran, have engulfed university campuses and led to merchants shutting down their stores to join in all over the country, The Guardian reported. Videos posted to social media show protestors chanting ‘Freedom” and “death to the dictator.”
Iran has faced economic turmoil this past year, with the Iranian rial reportedly dropping to 1.42 million to the dollar — a more than 56% loss in value over six months, resulting in soaring inflation and food prices up 72% compared to last year.
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In response, Iran appointed a new governor to the central bank, Abdolnasser Hemmati, a former economics minister. When the previous governor, Mohammad Reza Farzin, took office, the rial traded 430,000 to the dollar, reported the Associated Press. At the time of the 2015 nuclear agreement, the rial traded at 32,000 to the dollar.
Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani called the protests “a natural reaction to economic and livelihood pressure.”
“When people raise their voices it shows the high level of pressure they are under,” she added.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the protesters have “legitimate demands” and met with the heads of guilds, unions, chambers of commerce, and others, The New York Times reported.
The protests are the largest since the massive 2022 protests following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died after her arrest by the Iranian regime’s morality police for allegedly violating hijab rules. In the wake of her death, protests erupted with the slogan “Women, Life, Freedom,” until the regime brutally cracked down on demonstrators with mass arrests, lethal force, and executions.
The protests this week have also included chants of “Women, Life, Freedom.”
On Monday, during a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump said he would back more Israeli military strikes on Iran if Tehran continues to develop ballistic missiles or pursue nuclear capabilities.
“The missiles, yes. The nuclear, fast,” Trump said. “One would be yes, absolutely, the other was, we’ll do it immediately.”
The president also noted that the Iranian people were expressing discontent as their country suffers from inflation, a “bust” economy, and the threat of violence or death when protesting.
“Every time they have a rioter or someone forms a group, little or big, they start shooting people. You know, they kill people,” Trump said. “They’re vicious, vicious people.”
Ali Shamkhani, a representative of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, responded, claiming that “any aggression” will face a “harsh response that is immediate and beyond the imagination of its designers.”
“In Iran’s defense doctrine, some responses are determined before the threat reaches the execution stage,” he tweeted. “Missile and defensive Iran capabilities are neither containable nor in need of permission.”