Protests and Strikes in the Capital in Response to 144,000 Toman Dollar

The sudden surge in currency rates in the early days of winter has created a wave of uncertainty and protests in the commercial centers of the capital. Reports and posts circulating on social media indicate that from the afternoon of Sunday, December 28, a large number of merchants in various areas of Tehran stopped working and held protest gatherings in response to the unprecedented increase in the dollar price, which reached 144,000 tomans. The starting point of these movements was the Aladdin Shopping Center on Jomhoori Street, known as the main hub for buying and selling mobile phones. The merchants of this center, after closing their shops, gathered in the corridors of the complex and expressed their protest against the current economic situation by chanting, 'Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, we are all together.' Moments later, these gatherings moved outside the shopping center, and protesters urged other merchants and passersby to join them as they marched towards the intersection of Hafez Street and Hafez Bridge. The merchants of the Chahar Sou Shopping Center also halted their activities in a similar manner and joined the protesters in the street. The scope of these protests was not limited to the city center; the Shush market in the southern part of the capital also witnessed strikes and gatherings of merchants. Vendors in this area also closed their shops due to price instability and their inability to replace goods. Simultaneously, reports from the Grand Bazaar of Tehran indicated that in sections such as Saray-e Ahangarān, shop shutters were pulled down, and in the Chahār Bārq neighborhood, which is a hub for distributing auto parts, many units became semi-closed. These widespread professional reactions occur as the fall of the rial's value has accelerated in recent weeks, and momentary fluctuations have practically deprived merchants of the ability to trade and set prices.