Massive anti-regime protests break out across Iran; Exiled crown prince calls Iranians to protest ‘for the fall of this system’

Iran is experiencing the largest anti-regime protests in three years, triggered by the worsening economic situation and the rapid fall of the Iranian currency.

Since Monday, shopkeepers and merchants have closed their shops and staged large demonstrations against the government, whose security forces have begun cracking down against the protests.

Regime media confirmed that many shops were closed after the head of the Central Bank resigned amid another crash of the Iranian currency, with the market value of U.S. $1 reaching 1.4 million rials, as opposed to 42,000 rials in official value.

Merchants in Tehran, particularly those in the capital’s Grand Bazaar, are seen as a crucial bellwether for the public’s mood and were a key factor in supporting the 1979 Islamic Revolution that toppled the Pahlavi Dynasty.

The opposition outlet Iran International reported that rallies took place “from Qeshm Island in the south to Zanjan and Hamadan in the north, and from Malard and Pardis near Tehran to Kerman in the southeast.”

Videos sent to Iran International show security forces confronting protesting shopkeepers in central Tehran on Monday, with riot police deployed around the Grand Bazaar and tear gas used on Jomhouri Street near the Hafez underpass. pic.twitter.com/OyhQlyUJaN

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) December 29, 2025

On Monday, regime forces reportedly fired on protesters in Hamadan while using tear gas in the town of Malard to disperse the demonstrations.

Slogans used by the protesters quickly shifted from economic demands on the first day to chants against the regime, Iran International reported. These included “death to the dictator” and “Seyyed Ali (Khamenei) will be toppled this year.”

Iran’s exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi expressed his support for the protesters, saying in a video message on 𝕏 that “As long as this regime is in power, the country's economic situation will continue to decline. Today, it is the time for greater solidarity.”

“I call on all segments of society to join your fellow compatriots in the streets and raise the cry for the fall of this system. And my special message to the security and police forces: This system is collapsing. Do not stand against the people. Join the people,” Pahlavi urged.

In Tehran's Saadi Metro Station, people were heard chanting "Long Live the King" and "This is the final battle, Pahlavi will return," a video obtained by Iran International shows.pic.twitter.com/hLkYu6hdBu

— Iran International English (@IranIntl_En) December 29, 2025

According to Iran International, which relies on reports from Iran while being based outside the country, protesters also chanted “This is the final battle, Pahlavi will return,” and “Reza Shah may God bless your soul” during some demonstrations.

Dr. Meir Javedanfar, an expert on Iran at Israel's Reichman University, cautioned that "It is not a revolution until part of the security apparatus breaks away and turns against the regime. Until then, what we are witnessing are a series of protests."

Despite reports of a crackdown, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was cited by state media as urging the government to listen to protesters’ “legitimate demands,” in a first official response from the regime.

In a post on 𝕏, Pezeshkian said he ordered Interior Minister Ahmad Vahidi to engage with the protesters and help the government “respond responsibly,” and emphasized that improving people’s livelihoods is his “daily concern.”

Asked about the new protests on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump noted that “Every time they have a riot, or somebody forms a group, little or big, they (the regime) start shooting people.”

However, he didn’t want “to talk about overthrow of a regime,” Trump said, adding that Iran’s leadership has “a lot of problems. They have tremendous inflation. Their economy is bust. And I know that people aren’t so happy.”

This week’s protests are the largest since the Mahsa Amini demonstrations in 2022. Amini was a young woman who was killed in the custody of the regime’s morality police after being arrested for allegedly not properly wearing her head covering.