What began as anger over the surging price of the US dollar and the collapse of the rial has widened into a broader wave of unrest, moving beyond market corridors and into streets, squares and university campuses across multiple provinces.
In Tehran, major sections of the bazaar were shuttered, including major commercial centers in the Grand Bazaar as well as the Alaeddin mall.
Crowds poured into streets in several parts of central Tehran, where security forces deployed tear gas and clashes were reported.
One widely shared video shows a protester sitting on the ground in front of security forces. Many viewers compared the scene to the “Tank Man” moment during China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square protests, a symbol of solitary defiance in the face of state power. The protester was quickly beaten and removed.
The unrest deepened outside the capital. Protests and nighttime rallies were reported from Qeshm Island in the south to Zanjan and Hamadan in the north, and from Malard and Pardis near Tehran to Kerman in the southeast.
In Hamadan, security forces reportedly shot directly at demonstrators, and in Malard, tear gas was fired at protesters.
While the slogans were mainly focused on economic issues on the first day, the second day's chants underscored a transition from economic frustration to more explicit political dissent.
Chants in several cities targeted Iran's political authority, with crowds shouting slogans such as 'death to the dictator" and "Seyyed Ali (Khamenei) will be toppled this year".
Pro-monarchy slogans like "This is the final battle, Pahlavi will return," and "Reza Shah may God bless your soul" were also heard in various parts of Tehran and other cities during Monday protests, videos obtained by Iran International show.
Exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi in a message on Instagram called on Iranian people to join protesters in the streets and put an end to the rule of Tehran's theocracy which toppled his father's monarchy in 1979.
Root causes of protests
At the core of the crisis is the dollar’s surge to roughly 144,000 tomans over the weekend before easing slightly to 136,000 tomans on Monday.
Shopkeepers say the volatility has made it impossible to price goods, secure supply or plan for basic business survival.
Amid the turmoil, the governor of Iran’s central bank resigned and President Masoud Pezeshkian appointed Abdolnaser Hemmati as the new chief in an effort widely seen as aimed at calming markets and protests.
However, there was no immediate sign the move influenced protesters, and momentum continued to build.
Tehran shopkeepers have vowed to extend their strikes into Tuesday, marking a third consecutive day of action.
Students at Shahid Beheshti University and Amirkabir University, prestigious academic centers in Tehran, also announced plans for a protest gathering Tuesday morning.
With protests spreading nationwide, turning more confrontational and carrying into the night, the coming days will test whether this wave remains anchored in economic collapse or develops into a broader challenge to authority.
