Masoud Bezhakian Calls to Listen to the "Legitimate Demands" of Protesters Against the Economic Situation

SadaNews - The Iranian President, Masoud Bezhakian, called for listening to the "legitimate demands" of the protesters, according to official media reports today, Tuesday, following two days of merchants' protests in Tehran against the rising cost of living and inflation.

Bezhakian stated that he had asked "the Minister of Interior to listen to the legitimate demands of the protesters through dialogue with their representatives, so that the government can act responsibly, with all its power, to solve and respond to the problems" according to the "IRNA" agency.

Shop owners in Tehran closed their shops again yesterday, Monday, in protest against the deteriorating economic situation in Iran, which has worsened due to Western sanctions and the rapid decline in the value of the national currency.

This movement began the day before yesterday, Sunday, in the largest mobile phone markets in Tehran, before expanding and gaining momentum on Monday.

Angry traders, in response to a new drop in the value of the national currency, closed their stores and organized protests in the center of the capital, which houses many shops.

The rial recorded a new record level against the dollar on Sunday, according to the unofficial black market rate, where the price of one dollar exceeded 1.4 million rials, compared to 820,000 rials a year ago.

The value of the Iranian currency rose slightly on Monday.

However, the continued decline in the value of the currency leads to hyperinflation and high price volatility, with certain prices sharply increasing from one day to the next.

Price fluctuations are causing a freeze in the sales of some imported goods, as sellers and buyers prefer to postpone any transactions until the situation becomes clearer, according to observations by Agence France-Presse.

Sanctions and Inflation

On Monday, the "IRNA" news agency reported that "many traders preferred to suspend their activities to avoid potential losses," adding that the protesters "chanted slogans."

Iran has been suffering from hyperinflation for years.

According to the official statistics center, inflation reached 52 percent year-on-year in December.

However, this figure does not accurately reflect the significant increases in the prices of basic materials, in particular.

The Iranian economy is facing difficulties due to decades of Western sanctions. It has become more vulnerable since the United Nations reimposed international sanctions on Tehran at the end of September, after they had been lifted years ago as part of the nuclear agreement reached between Iran and major powers: the United States, China, Russia, France, Germany, and Britain.

Images published by the "Fars" news agency on Monday showed a crowd of demonstrators protesting in a main street in downtown Tehran.

The agency noted that "minor clashes were reported... between some protesters and security forces," warning of the risk of these gatherings being exploited to destabilize the situation.

This movement seems to have ended by Monday evening, according to images broadcast by state television showing sites clear of protesters.

Meanwhile, the government announced the replacement of the central bank governor.

The spokesman for the Iranian presidency, Mehdi Tabatabai, stated in a post on the "X" platform that "by the president's decision, Abdolnaser Hemmati will be appointed as the governor of the central bank.

With this, Hemmati returns to the forefront after being dismissed by parliament in March from his position as Minister of Economy for failing to address economic problems amid the sharp decline in the value of the rial.