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Jailed Iranian politician and prominent dissident Mostafa Tajzadeh warned on Monday that relentless price hikes and the collapse of the national currency are pushing Iran rapidly toward “statelessness and chaos.”
He called for the abolition of clerical rule and a democratic overhaul of the system.
“Now the time has come for all those who want a prosperous, free, and independent Iran to speak with one voice and call for the separation of religious institutions from political institutions, for the clergy to hand power back to the people, and to return to their traditional base in the seminaries,” Tajzadeh posted on Instagram.
“The logical outcome of the Leader’s destructive approach has been the sidelining and exclusion of the competent, and the elevation of the inept to the top, Tajzadeh said.
“The safest and most reliable way out of the crises is to convene a constituent assembly and amend the constitution in line with the will of the nation,” he added.
“Peaceful protest is the inalienable legal right of citizens, and its suppression by the government is entirely unjustifiable and, if it occurs, must be firmly condemned by all political forces and currents.”
The State Department on Monday published a video showing scenes of protests in Tehran, voicing support for the Iranian people and calling on the Islamic Republic to refrain from a violent crackdown.
“As Iran’s currency falls to its lowest level ever against the US dollar, hundreds of people gathered in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar to protest the worsening economic situation. Despite violence and a heavy security presence, brave Iranians continue to raise their voices and stage significant demonstrations,” the State Department’s Persian account on X said.
“The Islamic Republic must respect the fundamental rights of the Iranian people and respond to their legitimate demands instead of silencing them. The United States supports the Iranian people in their efforts to make their voices heard,” it added.
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian, in his first official reaction to nationwide protests over economic woes, said on Monday he had ordered his interior minister to engage in dialogue with the representatives of protesters.
“I have tasked the interior minister with listening to the legitimate demands of protesters through dialogue with their representatives, so that the government can act with full capacity to resolve problems and respond responsibly," he said.
"People’s livelihoods are my daily concern. We have placed fundamental measures to reform the monetary and banking system and to protect people’s purchasing power on the agenda."
A senior aide to Iran’s supreme leader warned on Monday that any new aggression would draw a harsher response, following comments by US President Donald Trump about possible further attacks on Iran.
“Iran’s missile and defensive capabilities are neither containable nor in need of permission. Any act of aggression will be met with a harsh, immediate response beyond the imagination of its planners,” Ali Shamkhani, a top adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, posted on X.
His comments came after Trump said on Monday he would support possible Israeli strikes on Iran if the Islamic Republic develops its ballistic missile or nuclear programs, warning Tehran against rebuilding military capabilities destroyed in a brief June war.
“I’m hearing that Iran is trying to recover — if that happens, we’ll have to hit them hard,” Trump said. Asked whether he would support Israeli strikes on Iran if it further develops its ballistic missile and nuclear programs, he replied: “If they continue with missiles, yes, quickly. If they continue with nuclear, immediately.”
Shamkhani, a member of Iran's Supreme Defense Council, warned that “in Iran’s defense doctrine, some responses are determined before a threat even reaches the execution stage."
The United States held five rounds of negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program earlier this year, for which Trump set a 60-day deadline. When no agreement was reached by the 61st day on June 13, Israel launched a surprise military offensive, followed by US strikes on June 22 targeting key nuclear facilities in Isfahan, Natanz and Fordow.
The attacks killed several Iranian officials and nuclear scientists as well as hundreds of military personnel and civilians, while Iranian counterattacks killed 32 Israeli civilians and an off-duty soldier.
Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and says its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes, and Khamenei has said dealing with Trump is beneath the dignity of the Islamic Republic, while Iranian officials have rejected US demands to end uranium enrichment and curb missile capabilities.
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett posted a video message on X on Monday addressed to protesters in Iran, saying they deserve a better future and that the free world stands with them.
“The Iranian people have a glorious past, and they can have an even more glorious future. That future depends on every one of you."
"So to all the brave men and women now rising up across your country, all the nations of the free world stand with you in your just struggle. Change is possible; there will be a better Middle East,” Bennett said.
