Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced that he has instructed his government to heed the protesters' "legitimate demands" and engage in dialogue with their representatives following the largest demonstrations in three years.
The remarks came after two days of unrest driven largely by anger over the rapidly weakening rial, rising prices, and frustration with the pace of economic relief under continued international sanctions. In Tehran, shopkeepers in and around the Grand Bazaar were among those reported to have protested and staged stoppages. Protesters reportedly chanted "Azadi," the Farsi word for freedom, and "Don't be afraid, we are together."
Pezeshkian reportedly instructed the interior minister to hear demonstrators' demands through talks with representatives. At the same time, government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani called the response a shift toward open communication rather than immediate escalation.
Pezeshkian wrote on X that "The livelihood of the people is my daily concern. We have fundamental actions on the agenda to reform the monetary and banking system and preserve the purchasing power of the people. I have tasked the Minister of the Interior to hear the legitimate demands of the protesters through dialogue with their representatives, so that the government can act with all its might to resolve problems and respond responsibly."
معیشت مردم، دغدغه هر روز من است. اقدامات اساسی برای اصلاح نظام پولی و بانکی و حفظ قدرت خرید مردم در دستور کار داریم. به وزیر کشور مأموریت دادم از مسیر گفتوگو با نمایندگان معترضان، مطالبات برحق آنها را بشنود تا دولت با تمام توان برای رفع مشکلات و پاسخگویی مسئولانه عمل کند.
— Masoud Pezeshkian (@drpezeshkian) December 29, 2025
The protests were catalyzed by another sharp drop in the Iranian currency, the rial's value, which has been sliding amid economic pressures and uncertainty over foreign policy and sanctions. The rial reportedly hit a record low around 1,390,000 per U.S. dollar, underscoring how quickly purchasing power is eroding for many families and small businesses.
Current widespread demonstrations are the largest they've been since the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody after being arrested for allegedly not wearing a hijab in public. Tehran is currently in hot water on the international front after multiple devastating strikes on military facilities in June by the U.S. and Israel, which The Guardian reports has led to a relaxation of repression by the morality police in Iran. As well as the reintroduction of sanctions on Tehran by the United Nations in September.
In an interview with state media on Saturday, Pezeshkian said, "In my opinion, we are in total war with America, Israel, and Europe; they do not want our country to stand on its feet." Since the renewed hostilities this year, Trump has consistently emphasized that the United States will not tolerate a reconstituted Iranian nuclear capability. At a meeting at his Mar-a-Lago property in Florida on Monday, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump vowed to "knock the hell" out of Iran if it rebuilds its weapons capabilities.
