Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday issued his first official response to the latest protests over worsening economic conditions, saying he has instructed his interior minister to hold talks with demonstrators.
In a post on X, Pezeshkian said he had ordered Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi to “listen to the legitimate demands of protesters” and help the government “respond responsibly.”
Pezeshkian said improving people’s livelihoods remains his “daily concern,” and that reforms to the banking and monetary system are on the agenda.
But it remains unclear how the dialogue he has proposed will work or whether it can contain protests that are increasingly political in tone.
The unrest began with anger over the surging price of the US dollar and the collapse of the rial but quickly broadened.
Strikes and demonstrations spread nationwide on Monday, turning violent in several cities as nighttime crowds chanted against the ruling system and bazaar merchants vowed to continue their shutdowns.
In Tehran, large parts of the Grand Bazaar were shuttered, while clashes were reported in central streets.
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".
The turmoil has been fueled by a currency crisis that pushed the dollar to roughly 144,000 tomans over the weekend. The head of Iran’s central bank resigned amid the turmoil, and Pezeshkian appointed former chief Abdolnaser Hemmati in a move seen as aimed at calming markets.
