Protesters in Iran Call for End of Ruling Regime, Citing Economic Hardship and Mounting Inflation

Protests that started in Tehran last week over the plummeting value of Iran’s rial currency have expanded into a nationwide uprising, with some Iranians calling for the end of the ruling regime.

Security forces have reportedly fired into crowds of protesters, killing dozens of people while taking more than 1,200 into custody. This is Iran’s largest massed demonstrations since the Women, Life, Freedom movement in 2022.

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Ray Takeyh, a senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, said even Tehran’s government has acknowledged how widespread the demonstrations have been. 

“As of yesterday, these protests have taken place in 77 cities. That’s nationwide,” Mr. Takeyh said Tuesday in a discussion hosted by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America think tank. “Those are Islamic Republic figures, so it’s probably larger than that.”

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