Iran’s government officials ordered a shutdown this week amid rioting and protests over the country’s dire economic and political situation.
Businesses, universities, and government offices closed their doors in 21 provinces for one day, Fox News reported on Wednesday.
“Video footage circulating online and shared by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) shows intense clashes between protesters and security forces in cities, including Shiraz, Isfahan, Kermanshah and Tehran,” the outlet said.
People were reportedly seen and heard chanting “Death to Khamenei!” referring to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader of Iran.
Video footage shows crowds filling the streets:
The protests spread Tuesday when Iran’s national currency, the rial, fell to a record low against the U.S. dollar and inflation skyrocketed, Breitbart News reported.
“The rial was trading at 430,000 to the dollar when Iranian central bank chief Mohammad Reza Farzin took office in 2022,” the article read, noting Farzin resigned on Monday but this did not calm the protests.
“Many businessmen closed their shops in protest of the currency collapse and high inflation rates. General inflation rose 1.8 percent to 42.4 percent in December, but food inflation was dramatically higher, hitting 72 percent last month,” the outlet said, adding the government is reportedly going to inflict a huge tax hike for March, which is the start of the new year for Iranians.
University students in Tehran were heard chanting, “Death to the dictator!” according to BBC News:
Iranian officials said a volunteer member of the Revolutionary Guard was killed during the recent protests, and it was reportedly the first death among security forces as the unrest continued, the Associated Press (AP) reported Thursday.
During an interview early Thursday, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian said, “If we do not solve the problem of people’s livelihood, we will end up in hell,” according to the Jerusalem Post.
“As a result, we must try in every way possible, whether as individuals, as a social group, as a capitalist, or as a government, to untie the knots of the people,” he added.
Additional video shows protesters in the streets:
Meanwhile, Pezeshkian recently said his country is in full-scale war with the United States, Europe, and Israel, per Breitbart News.
“His words echo proclamations by Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) commander, General Hossein Salami, who has previously cautioned the West that death awaits it at the hands of a victorious Iranian regime,” the article said.
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