Protests Calling for “Death to the Dictator” Erupt Across Iran

Mass protests have erupted across Iran calling for “death to the dictator” over the regime’s economic crisis, as Donald Trump threatens military action if the country rebuilds its nuclear or missile programmes. The Telegraph has more.

Tear gas was used to disperse protesters as shops shuttered in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and main markets.  

University students called on their peers to join the demonstrations, while chants echoed from rooftops in several cities and the Iranian rial plunged to record lows, all against the backdrop of ongoing threats from Israel and the US.

Residents in one city near Tehran told the Telegraph that a heavy presence of armed motorcycle-mounted security forces was visible around midnight.

On Monday, security forces fired tear gas to disperse protesters in Tehran while residents in Malard, 28 miles east of the capital, were faced with motorcycle-mounted armed security.

In several cities, people went on to their rooftops and chanted slogans against the Islamic Republic and Ali Khamenei, its supreme leader.

The protests have been cheered on by Israel, whose foreign ministry hoping for Mr Khamenei’s overthrow welcomed the action with “open arms”.

Donald Trump also threatened military action on Monday if Iran rebuilds its nuclear or missile programmes, warning he will “knock the hell out of them”.

At several universities, students urged their peers to join demonstrations after protests erupted at Tehran University’s dormitory complex.

Security forces surrounded the dormitory on Monday evening and closed its gates with a heavy security presence around the campus.

Students living at the complex chanted slogans including “Woman, life, freedom”, “Students die but do not accept humiliation” and “Be afraid, be afraid, we are all together”.

One student inside the dormitory said: “They have closed the gates, and special forces on motorcycles are circling us. We are determined – some of us may be arrested, things could get worse – but we will not back down.”

Iranian universities have long been hubs of political activism, with students playing key roles in protests for decades.

Ahmadreza, a university student in Malard, told the Telegraph: “They [the protesters] have closed roads in several neighbourhoods, and chants are coming from all directions. People are also chanting from their rooftops.

“It’s almost impossible to move from one part of the city to another. There are police cars with cages. People are angry and exhausted as prices rise day by day.”

The protests began on Sunday afternoon after mobile phone and electronics shopkeepers in Tehran shut their stores as the rial currency fell to a record low of 1.42 million to the dollar.

Riot police in full gear confronted hundreds of demonstrators near Tehran’s Grand Bazaar and in the Saadi Street area on Monday afternoon.

Traders shut their shops and urged others to join the closures. Security forces maintained a heavy presence at multiple locations throughout the capital.

The currency recovered slightly to 1.38 million on Monday evening after the Islamic Republic’s central bank governor resigned but remains down approximately 40% since June.

Iran’s currency collapse is compounding severe inflation. The state statistics centre reported inflation reached 42.2% in December, up 1.8 percentage points from November.

Food prices surged 72%, and health and medical items rose 50% compared to the same period last year.

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