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This article is about protests from December 2025 in Iran. For protests in May 2025 in Iran, see May 2025 Iranian protests.
Multiple, including student participants and activists
A series of mass demonstrations erupted in Iran across multiple cities in response to the escalating economic crisis in the country. Beginning in Tehran, the protests were sparked by frustration over skyrocketing inflation, rising food prices, and the severe depreciation of the Iranian rial. The demonstrations, initially led by shopkeepers and market traders, quickly became the largest in Iran since the 2022 unrest following the death of Mahsa Amini.[2]
The protests were driven by a rapidly worsening economic situation. Inflation in Iran had surged to 42.2% in December 2025, severely impacting household budgets.[2] The Iranian rial had fallen to a record low of 1.42 million to the US dollar.[2][3] Food and essential goods saw massive price hikes, while many Iranians struggled to make ends meet.[3] The currency crisis, which had been developing over several years, worsened in 2025 amid ongoing economic pressures, including the 12-day war with Israel and renewed UN nuclear-related sanctions imposed through the snapback mechanism.[2]
What began as localized protests in Tehran's commercial districts quickly spread to other major cities, including Isfahan, Shiraz, and Mashhad.[2] In Tehran, protests centered around the Grand Bazaar, where merchants staged strikes to demand government action. Footage shared on social media showed security forces deploying tear gas to break up the crowds.[2] As the protests grew, so did their intensity, with demonstrators in various cities chanting anti-government slogans and calling for an end to the economic hardships that had left many struggling to afford even basic necessities.[2]
In the final months of 2025, Iran's economy experienced an unprecedented surge in exchange rates, a sharp depreciation of the Iranian rial with the U.S. dollar reaching approximately 145,000 tomans.[4][5] Additionally, according to Iran's state statistics center, the country's inflation rate reached 42.2% in December 2025, an increase of 1.8% compared to November.[2] Food prices rose by 72%, while health and medical goods increased by 50% year-on-year.[2] Reports in Iranian media also indicated that the government planned to raise taxes with the start of the Iranian new year on 21 March, fueling further concern among citizens.[2]
Economic analysts cited government monetary and fiscal policies, economic mismanagement, chronic budget deficits, and the continuation of international sanctions as key contributing factors. These conditions directly affected trade guilds, particularly businesses dependent on imports. Severe exchange-rate volatility left many merchants unable to price goods, secure supplies, or continue economic activity.[6][7][8][9]
The protests were Iran's largest since 2022, when nationwide demonstrations erupted following the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini while in police custody for allegedly wearing her hijab improperly.[2]
Market traders were influential during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, helping to mobilize public support that ultimately led to the overthrow of the monarchy.[11] The demonstrations were notable in the context of a large-scale government crackdown on dissidents, including arrests of prominent opponents and the highest number of executions in nearly 40 years.[10]
Protests
28 December
On 28 December, groups of shopkeepers and merchants at Alaeddin Shopping Center in Tehran and other commercial centers, including Charsou Mall, went on strike by closing their shops. Simultaneously, protest gatherings formed around these locations, and images and videos of widespread shop closures circulated on social media.[7]
According to reports, protesters cited the rising dollar exchange rate and market instability, warning that continued conditions would lead to the bankruptcy of many small and medium-sized businesses. Some gatherings extended into surrounding streets, including Jomhuri Street.[6][12][13]
Videos and eyewitness accounts showed groups of merchants chanting slogans against economic mismanagement and, in some cases, expressing antigovernment sentiments.[12] Protesters also chanted "Law Enforcement, support, support," calling on security forces to back the protests.[14]
The protesters' main demands included stabilizing exchange rates, addressing merchants' economic hardships, creating a predictable business environment, and preventing losses caused by market volatility.[6][12] There were no reported clashes with security forces on this day and it remained peaceful.[15]
29 December
The protests continued into their second day on 29 December and expanded across various parts of Tehran, including the Grand Bazaar. Merchants and shopkeepers closed their businesses and gathered in the streets to protest the unprecedented collapse of the rial and sharp increases in currency and gold prices. Protesters voiced opposition to economic conditions and government management, citing declining purchasing power and rising living costs. Videos shared online showed continued gatherings around Lalehzar, Chaharsouq, and Jomhuri Street, with participants largely nonviolent while conveying critical messages toward government economic policies.[16][17][18]
Footage verified by independent sources showed crowds at malls near Tehran's Grand Bazaar chanting "azadi" (freedom).[10]Law enforcement forces used tear gas to disperse demonstrators outside the Alaeddin Shopping Center.[19]
Protests also spread to other cities in Iran.[20] On the night of 29 December 2025, protests were reported in several regions across Iran, including Qeshm in the south and Zanjan and Hamadan in the north. Demonstrators chanted slogans critical of the supreme leader, including "Death to the dictator" on Qeshm Island and "Seyyed Ali [Khamenei] will be toppled this year" in Zanjan.[21][10] There were also chants in support of the monarchy, such as "Pahlavi will return."[22]
30 December
By the third day of protests, strikes and security measures had expanded, with shops closing in parts of Tehran such as Shoush and Molavi, as well as in Isfahan's Naqsh-e Jahan Square. Heavy security deployments were reported in Tehran, Mashhad, and at Khajeh Nasir University. Government responses included ordering temporary closures in 11 provinces, including Tehran province, due to cold weather and energy constraints. Security forces fired on protesters in Hamadan and deployed tear gas in Tehran and Malard.[23][24]
Fars News Agency (affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) described the strike and demonstrations as "riots" on the second day of the protests and warned of individuals allegedly infiltrating the bazaars to turn economic slogans into political ones exceeding the protesters' demands.[27]
Prominent jailed Iranian reformist politician Mostafa Tajzadeh criticized the government's handling of the economic crisis that is pushing the country toward "statelessness and chaos." He called for the abolition of theocracy and a "democratic overhaul of the system," urging that religious institutions return to their traditional roles in seminaries and that political authority be restored to the people. Tajzadeh also stressed that "peaceful protest is the inalienable legal right of citizens," condemning any attempts by the government to suppress demonstrations.[29][30]
International
Reza Pahlavi, son of the late Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, expressed his support for the protesters, and called on all Iranians, including security and law enforcement forces, to join the protests.[22] The United States Department of State expressed support for the protesters and urged the Iranian government to respect citizens' rights and respond to their concerns instead of resorting to "violent silencing."[31] US President Donald Trump said that Iran's leadership "got a lot of problems. They have tremendous inflation. Their economy is bust. And I know that people aren't so happy," also criticizing the government's violent response to protests: "They kill people. Every time they have a riot, or somebody forms a group, little or big, they start shooting people."[32]
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