Iranian president urges dialogue with protesters

Tehran: Iran’s president has urged his government to listen to the “legitimate demands” of protesters after several days of demonstrations by shopkeepers in Tehran over worsening economic conditions and a rapidly depreciating currency, state media reported on Tuesday.

Shopkeepers in the capital kept their stores shut for a second consecutive day on Monday as the rial continued to slide on the unofficial market. The US dollar was trading at around 1.42 million rials on Sunday, compared to 820,000 rials a year ago, while the euro neared 1.7 million rials, according to currency monitoring websites.

President Masoud Pezeshkian said he had instructed the interior minister to engage in dialogue with protesters’ representatives. “I have asked the interior minister to listen to the legitimate demands of the protesters so the government can do everything in its power to resolve the problems and act responsibly,” he was quoted as saying by the state-run IRNA news agency.

According to the pro-labour ILNA news agency, protesters are calling for immediate government action to stabilise exchange rates and present a clear economic strategy. Traders said sharp price fluctuations had paralysed sales of imported goods, with buyers and sellers postponing transactions amid uncertainty.

The conservative Fars news agency published images showing demonstrators occupying a major commercial thoroughfare in central Tehran and reported the use of tear gas to disperse the crowd. It said minor physical clashes occurred between some protesters and security personnel, warning that such gatherings could lead to instability.

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Amid mounting pressure, Iranian Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei called for swift punishment of those responsible for currency volatility. The government also announced the replacement of the central bank governor, with President Pezeshkian appointing Abdolnasser Hemmati to the post. Hemmati previously served as economy and finance minister but was dismissed by parliament in March following the rial’s sharp depreciation.

The protests come as Iran grapples with severe economic strain. Official figures put inflation at 52% year-on-year in December, though many basic goods have seen far steeper price increases. The economy has been weakened by decades of Western sanctions and faced further pressure after the United Nations reinstated international sanctions linked to Iran’s nuclear programme in late September.

Western countries and Israel accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons, an allegation Tehran has repeatedly denied.