It was always a matter of when, not if, the Iranian people would take to the streets again.
Since the regime’s defeat in the 12-day war against Israel and America in June, Iran has been a powder keg, subsumed with unresolved political crises, rising domestic dissent, deepening economic turmoil, and environmental crises ranging from drought to air pollution. The country has also witnessed mass arrests and an execution spree, while authorities have tried to feign a social opening that Iranian women have been using to push back on discriminatory public dress codes.
When unrest finally broke out in late December among Tehran’s traditional merchant, or “bazaar” class, its proximate cause was the sinking rial. Iran’s currency had just hit a record low of 1.43 million against a single U.S. dollar. Inflation was between about 40 and 50 percent—and a staggering 64 to 73 percent for foodstuffs, hitting families and small-business owners particularly hard. Against this backdrop, you might have expected protesters to make explicit economic demands. But rather than seek to change the exchange rate, Iranians poured into the streets to change their regime.
