Masoud Pezeshkian has promised to take action to protect purchasing power of Iranians as currency plummets to record lows.Published On 30 Dec 202530 Dec 2025Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareIranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on his government to listen to protesters’ “legitimate demands” and pledged to protect their livelihoods following two days of demonstrations in Tehran against the plummeting national currency and dire economic conditions.In comments on social media that were also reported by the government’s IRNA news agency on Tuesday, Pezeshkian acknowledged the concerns of the protesters, who have closed their shops and chanted in the streets in demonstrations in the capital since Sunday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list“The livelihood of the people is my daily concern,” Pezeshkian posted on X.“I have tasked the Minister of the Interior to hear the legitimate demands of the protesters through dialogue with their representatives, so that the government can act with all its might to resolve problems and respond responsibly.”The government had “fundamental actions on the agenda to reform the monetary and banking system and preserve the purchasing power of the people”, he added.Shopkeepers take to the streetsThe protests in Tehran have broken out as the Iranian rial has plunged to new record lows against the US dollar.The rial has been rapidly declining over recent weeks as the United States and its Western allies pile on their sanctions and diplomatic pressure, and the threat of another war with Israel lingers.Shopkeepers near two main tech and mobile phone shopping centres in Tehran’s Jomhouri area, as well as in and around the Grand Bazaar, closed their businesses and took to the streets on Sunday, with further protests on Monday afternoon. Advertisement Footage on social media showed demonstrators chanting: “Don’t be afraid, we are together.”Multiple videos showed antiriot forces in full gear deploying tear gas to disperse the protesters.Multiple challengesIranian state media have reported on the protests, but have emphasised that they are motivated by the unchecked depreciation of the rial, rather than wider disenchantment with the theocratic establishmen …
