Iranian protests spread to universities as students take to the streets

Tehran's chief prosecutor pledges 'decisive' response if protests destabilise country

Iranian students have staged street protests in Tehran after shopkeepers in the capital began demonstrations this week over economic hardship, with the country's chief prosecutor vowing that any attempt to sow instability would be met with a "decisive response."

US Ambassador to the UN Mike Waltz on Tuesday said Washington supported those taking to the streets. "The people of Iran want freedom. They have suffered at the hands of the Ayatollahs for too long," he said on X.

"We stand with Iranians in the streets of Tehran and across the country as they protest a radical regime that has brought them nothing but economic downturn and war," he added.

Iran's Pezeshkian pledges banking reforms and orders talks with protesters

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Iran's prosecutor Mohammad Movahedi Azad blamed international sanctions and media campaigns for the protests, Irna reported. He also warned against economic protests being turned into "a tool of insecurity".

"Any attempt to turn economic protests into a tool of insecurity, destruction of public property, or implementation of externally designed scenarios will inevitably be met with a legal, proportionate and decisive response," he warned.

The student protests on Tuesday spread to about 10 universities across the country, including seven in Tehran, said the Ilna news agency, which is associated with the country's labour movement.

Demonstrations also took place at the technology university in Isfahan, as well as institutions in Yazd and Zanjan, state news agency Irna reported.

Iranian traders and shopkeepers began protesting on Sunday after the value of the country’s rial plummeted to 1.42 million to the dollar on Sunday, before recovering slightly to 1.38 million to the dollar. Iran's economy has been hit hard by western sanctions and conflict.

Many parts of Iran struggle to save energy during the cold weather at this time of year. The government has closed banks, schools and businesses during the past month in a bid to save energy – moves that have sparked anger.

President Masoud Pezeshkian, who has less authority than Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Tuesday met with labour leaders and issued proposals to tackle the economic crisis, the Mehr news agency reported.

Mr Pezeshkian announced earlier in the day that Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni would hold talks with representatives of the protesters to hear their demands.

Protesters march in downtown Tehran (Fars News Agency via AP)

Iranian security services used widespread arrests and violence crackdowns to suppress ⁠previous protests. There were no reports of a police crackdown this time, although security was tight at demonstrations, witnesses said.

Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf also called for "necessary measures focused on increasing people's purchasing power", but warned against foreign agents and government opponents attempting to exploit the protests, state TV reported.

On Monday, the government announced that central bank governor Mohammad Reza Farzin had been replaced with former economy minister Abdolnaser Hemmati.

According to the state statistics centre, Iran's annual inflation rate rose to 42.2 per cent this month, 1.8 per cent higher than last month. Food prices rose by 72 per cent and the cost of health and medical items were 50 per cent higher compared with December last year. Many critics believe the pace of the price rises is a sign of approaching hyperinflation.

Reports in official Iranian media that the government plans to increase taxes in the Iranian new year, which begins on March 21, have heightened concerns.

In 2022, anger over the death of a young Kurdish woman, Mahsa Zhina Amini, in the custody of Iran's morality police mushroomed into vast anti-government protests. Iran was widely accused of abuse in quelling the unrest, leading to further sanctions.

The European Union on Tuesday evening expressed concern over the widespread use of arbitrary detention in the country by authorities "to suppress critical voices within the country."

"We call on the Iranian authorities to release all individuals unjustly detained for exercising their fundamental rights, including freedom of expression and assembly," the statement added, including Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi who was arrested this month.