Media: Large-scale Protests in Iran: Government Buildings Attacked, Currency Hits All-Time Low

Amid the country's currency hitting a historic low against the US dollar and economic crisis triggering large-scale protests, the Iranian government appointed a new central bank governor on Wednesday. Additionally, authorities stated that a government building in southern Iran was attacked.

Protests against rising living costs were initially initiated by traders on Sunday and later spread to at least ten universities nationwide.

According to the official Iranian news agency, President Masoud Pezeshkian's cabinet appointed Abdulnasser Hemati, the former minister of economy, as the new governor of the Islamic Republic of Iran's Central Bank. Hemati succeeded Mohammad Reza Farzin, who resigned on Monday, just a day before the largest protest in three years erupted across the country due to the dramatic drop of the Iranian rial to a historic low.

Additionally, Hamid Ostovar, head of the judiciary in the southern city of Fasa, said: "The entrance door of the governor's office was damaged in an attack involving multiple people." He did not specify the details of the incident or explicitly link it to the protests. Fasa has a population of about 100,000 and is located approximately 780 kilometers south of the capital Tehran.

On Wednesday, Iranian authorities decided to close schools, banks, and public institutions in most parts of the country due to cold weather and the need to save energy. According to IRNA, several universities in Tehran also announced that classes next week would be conducted online, citing cold weather as the reason. The official sources did not make any explicit connection between these measures and the protests.

Over the past year, the Iranian rial has depreciated more than one-third against the US dollar, and years of persistent double-digit inflation have severely weakened the purchasing power of the people. According to data from the official Iranian statistical organization, the year-on-year inflation rate reached 52% in December 2025. On Wednesday, the exchange rate of the US dollar to the rial reached 138,000 rials, while the exchange rate was around 43,000 rials when Farzin took office in 2022.

The rapid depreciation of the currency combined with inflationary pressures has raised the prices of food and other daily necessities, further increasing the burden on households. Western sanctions related to Iran's nuclear program have long placed pressure on people's lives. With recent adjustments to gasoline prices, the inflation situation is expected to worsen further.

When the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal was reached, the exchange rate of the Iranian rial to the US dollar was approximately 3.2 rials. The agreement, which strictly limited Iran's nuclear program, led to the lifting of international sanctions. However, in 2018, U.S. President Trump unilaterally announced the withdrawal of the United States from the agreement during his first term, leading to its collapse.

According to media reports, Hamid Ostovar, a judicial official in the south, denied the claim that a young man was killed during the protests on Wednesday. Ostovar, who is the head of the judiciary department in the southern city of Fasa, stated that the protests turned violent after demonstrators entered the governor's office and injured three police officers, and four protesters have been arrested so far.

Witnesses said on Wednesday that merchants and shopkeepers in Tehran's main bazaar, as well as in the southern city of Shiraz and the western city of Kermanshah, continued to keep their shops closed as a form of protest.

At present, the scale of the protests over living costs still cannot be compared to the movement that swept across Iran at the end of 2022. At that time, the death of a young woman, Mahsa Amini, who was arrested for allegedly violating dress code regulations and died while in custody, triggered large-scale protests that resulted in hundreds of deaths, including dozens of security force members.

In 2019, Iran also experienced demonstrations due to a significant increase in fuel prices, with protests spreading to about 100 cities, including Tehran, and causing dozens of deaths.

Sources: rfi

Original: toutiao.com/article/1853069107346444/

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