Overview
- Merchant-led demonstrations in Tehran widened to university students and multiple cities, with partial shop closures persisting into a third day.
- Riot police were deployed in central districts and near campuses, and state-linked images showed tear gas used to disperse crowds.
- Iran’s rial hit a new informal-market low of about 1.4 million per dollar before a slight rebound, as official data show roughly 52% annual inflation in December.
- President Masoud Pezeshkian said the government recognizes the protests and instructed the interior minister to open talks with representatives.
- Central bank chief Mohammadreza Farzin resigned and Abdolnasser Hemmati was named to replace him, as authorities prepared emergency relief steps and ordered schools, banks and public offices closed on Wednesday, officially citing cold and energy savings.