Iran Protests Explained
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What historical context led to the current protests in Iran?
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Iran was nothing like it was three years ago. The people's attitude, the people's words, I could clearly sense that no one is truly satisfied anymore. The city felt like fire under ashes.
Fire under ashes. This is the voice of an Iranian graduate student currently living and studying in the U.S. She asked that we refer to her as Kay. Back in early December, during her university's holiday break, she and her husband went back to Iran to visit family. They planned to stay a month. This was her first time back in three years. She says Iran kind of felt like a tinderbox when she got there.
Not only because of economic problem or economic crisis, but also because of the suffocating atmosphere and the lack of civil freedoms.
We will not be sharing her name because she asked to remain anonymous in order to protect her family in Iran.
When I went to a supermarket or hospital, bank, I've seen a conversation, I've heard a conversation that people talk about Iranian currency and why it's really low and it's getting worse and what's going to happen. They didn't see any future upon them.
Over the last several years, Iran's economy has been struggling. Sanctions from the U.S. and its allies, mismanagement from the government, they've both played a major role in the downturn. But things got way worse in late December of 2025, when the rial, Iran's currency, basically collapsed. One U.S. dollar became worth over one million rials. This meant the buying power of Iranians was down by nearly half since 2022.
My friend is a nurse, and even though she has to work hard, like long shifts with her husband, and they had to sell their golds to be able to live in even a smaller apartment in downtown. But they had to because they had no choice.
Gold is something married couples usually receive as a gift at their weddings in Iran. It's like something you use one day to help your children or for your own retirement or to buy a house. This kind of story is very common. Many Iranians have had to resort to selling family heirlooms, working multiple jobs, and even selling their own organs just to pay for rent or food.
They told me we can't see any future upon us with this economic situation.
The economic pain triggered anger towards the government. And on December 28, 2025, within days of the currency collapse, protests began in Tehran, Iran's capital.
In the downtown of the Tehran, there is a big bazaar that we call Tehran Bazaar.
The Tehran Bazaar is Iran's biggest market. It's an important central hub for all kinds of commerce. And the merchants who have shops there were very angry about the collapse of Iran's currency. They took to the streets and began protesting.
Protests started from there, and then following that, other parts of the city started to protest. It was like, I don't know, dominoes spreading to all over the country.
Protests started in cities and spread to small towns. They even reached the quiet suburbs where Kay was staying.
It started at night, like, about 8 p.m. People from every background, like, old, young, kids, our, like, neighbors, all of them, even with their kids, were outside.
What were they saying?
The message was really clear. Down to the government. We don't want this government. They were calling, like, this to homonymy.
Death to Khamenei. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been in power for 37 years. Calling for his death publicly is a very dangerous thing to do in Iran.
And this type of like things to say, narrative to say in Iran, it was really like you have to pay like a high price to it.
Can I clarify? You're saying that saying death to Khamenei for you growing up was seen as something you couldn't do because you could be killed for it.
Yeah, exactly. This government, like actually they say we are from God.
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What historical context led to the current protests in Iran?
0:00–7:53
2
How do recent protests differ from previous movements in Iran?
7:53–14:39
3
What economic factors are fueling the unrest in Iran?
14:39–23:21
4
How did the Iranian government respond to the protests?
23:21–29:28
5
What role does social media play in the Iranian protests?
29:28–36:29
6
What are the implications of U.S. foreign policy on Iran's protests?
36:29–43:45
7
How do generational differences influence the protest movement?
43:45–48:19