International media outlets have reported that protests in Iran, which began on December 28 against the economic crisis and price hikes, have spread across the country.

A police officer was stabbed by a protester in the capital Tehran on Thursday. The US-based Human Rights Watch News Agency (HRNA) said protests were taking place in 280 areas in 27 of Iran's 31 provinces. The agency said on Wednesday that at least 36 people, including four minors and two security agents, have been killed in the protests so far. More than 2,000 people have been arrested. The protesters have called for the resignation of key figures in the Islamic regime, including Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and for democracy. Thousands also took part in demonstrations in Lorestan and Kermanshah in the west, Mashhad in the northeast, Qazvin south of the capital, Shahrekord and Bakhtiari Shar in Chahar Mahal in the southwest, and the city of Hamedan. A video footage going viral on social media shows The city of Abdanan in Ilam province is seen as a major protest site. A large number of people have been protesting here for the past week. Professor Sina Azadi, director of the Middle East Studies program at George Washington University in the US, told the BBC that the unrest in the cities is very meaningful. “Even those who support the government are going through financial difficulties,” he said. Earlier this week, protesters gathered at the entrance to a barracks in Malekshahi county and threw stones. In response, the army opened fire. Families of the injured and the dead also chanted anti-government slogans in hospitals.

Inflation has caused a major crisis in Iran. On Tuesday, the lowest point in history was 1.4 million Iranian rials equal to 1 dollar. Businessmen have closed their shops in the old markets here after the price increase was too high. Photos of protesters clashing with security forces, ignoring batons and tear gas, are scattered on social media.

People in the markets chanted slogans of ‘freedom’ and called state officials ‘dishonest’.

Despite the government’s recent crackdown, the movement has not subsided. On Wednesday, Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni-Azei said that no mercy would be shown to the rioters.

On Tuesday, protesters in Yaftabad chanted slogans such as ‘Neither for Gaza, nor for Lebanon, my life for Iran’. The Iranian government has been accused of supporting Hamas in Gaza and armed groups in Lebanon.

Price hikes hurt people

Iran has one of the world's highest inflation rates. The US sanctions, high corruption and weak presence in global markets have been affecting its economy. The 2015 Paris nuclear deal paved the way for Iran to enter the international market.

At the time, the Iranian rial was worth 32,000 to the dollar. But in 2018, Donald Trump announced the US withdrawal from the deal and reimposed tough sanctions. Since then, Iran's economy has been in constant crisis. The situation has worsened since the start of the war with Israel last year.

Businessmen last started street protests in Tehran on December 28 as the economic crisis worsened. Because, due to inflation, they were unable to store or sell goods . This had further worsened the already struggling economy .

The protests have now spread to 27 of the country's 31 provinces . On Tuesday, inflation was at a historic low (1.47 million Iranian rials equal to 1 US dollar). This has caused an economic crisis and created distrust among the general public and investors . 

Although the government has introduced some plans to control the economic situation, the results have been the opposite . The price of cooking oil has almost tripled this week . 

Major protests after 1979 

The last king, Mohammad

Hammad Reza Pallavi  fled the country on January 16, 1979, and religious politics began . Iran, which was secular during the monarchy, became an Islamic republic on April 1, 1979, after a referendum.

The cleric and politician Ruhollah Mousavi Khamenei, who played an important role in ending the Pallavid regime, became the country's supreme leader until his death. Although elections are held here to elect a president, the power of government revolves around the supreme leader. After Ruhollah's death, Ali Khamenei became the supreme leader in 1989.

During this period, all monarchical countries in the Middle East have changed their kings. However, he has been in power in the Republic of Iran for 36 years. He has been the longest-serving ruler in Iran since Shah Mohammad Reza Pallavid. He has become powerful because Iran's Revolutionary Guard is under the Supreme Leader. However, the people have repeatedly protested against his authoritarian tendencies.

Within two weeks of the Islamic Revolution, women in Iran were on the move. At this time, the regime of Ruhollah had made the hijab mandatory for women. Shortly after this, alcohol was banned. Separate classrooms were arranged for men and women in universities. This rule was also applied to schools, swimming pools, and beaches. Music broadcasts on radio and television were restricted. Demonstrations were held in protest of all these developments. In 1999, students demonstrated nationwide demanding reforms. The students protested after hardliners closed down various newspapers. The movement continued for almost four years.

In 2007, protests broke out across the country against President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's sudden plan to limit the use of petroleum. The plan was to reduce gasoline imports. However, the people were very angry when they had to sit in front of petrol pumps. The movement lasted only one day. During that time, some petrol pumps in the country were set on fire.

Protests began again in Iran over alleged fraud in the 2009 elections. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was re-elected to power. But the people considered the results to be fraudulent and protested. They wore green clothes in support of the reformist candidate Mir Hossein Mousavi, which is why it is also called the Green Movement.

The protesters chanted the slogan ‘Have you lost your vote?’. Initially, the movement was peaceful. However, after 2010, the government began to crack down. From 2011 to 2015, resistance continued, albeit irregularly. The general public also held rallies in support of the Arab Spring.

In 2017, demonstrations were held in more than 100 locations to protest economic hardship and inflation. Protesters also raised issues such as labor rights, water shortages, and environmental protection. In November 2019, protests broke out across the country over rising fuel prices. The government cracked down on the protests. The internet was also shut down in many parts of the country.