Anti-Government Protests in Iran; Efforts by the Islamic Republic to Limit Protests to the Fall of the Rial

The forty percent drop in the value of the Iranian rial over the past four months has prompted merchants to react after a long period of silence. Limited strikes that began on Sunday, December 28, escalated into widespread protests on Monday, December 29, with a broad range of people participating in several cities across Iran, including Tehran, Isfahan, Karaj, Mashhad, Zanjan, and Kerman. From the early hours, contrary to government narratives that sought to link everything to rising prices and livelihood issues, the protests took on a different tone with slogans against the structure of the Islamic Republic and the dictatorship of Ali Khamenei. In some areas, security forces attempted to disperse the crowds using tear gas but were unsuccessful. According to some reports, gunfire or pellet shots were heard in certain areas, but there is no accurate account of potential casualties yet. Students at Tehran University continued to chant slogans until the evening, and several student organizations announced Tuesday as their main day of protests through issued statements. In one instance, engineering students from Shahid Beheshti University (Abaspour) issued a statement calling for students to stand with the people of Iran. The statement read: 'It is time to set aside blind wishful thinking and stand with the nation. Stand with the roar of the people, with the spirit of Iran. Stand beyond those who have not accepted or understood modernity. Set aside your differences and stand united for freedom. Iran calls you, its children. Join hands and come to the field to echo the cries of the nation. To shake the mercenaries of the Velayat-e Faqih. So that the streets know they are not alone.' Meanwhile, the Islamic Republic government, which links all these protests to monetary issues and the depreciation of the rial against the dollar, announced a decision to change the governor of the Central Bank. According to domestic media reports, in the coming days, 'Abdolnaser Hemmati,' who served as the Central Bank governor during Hassan Rouhani's presidency, is set to replace 'Mohammad Reza Farzin,' who has held the position for the past three years. Notably, the news of the change at the top of the Central Bank got lost amid the uproar of widespread protests, and it seems that the protesting people do not pay much attention to it on social media. In the late hours of Monday, 'Masoud Pezeshkian' posted on the social media platform X, aligning with other pillars of the Islamic Republic, stating that the protests, which clearly feature anti-government slogans, are related to people's livelihoods. He wrote: 'I have tasked the Minister of 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 address the issues and respond responsibly.' He did not specify who he meant by the representatives of the protesters.