Protesters swarm Iran’s Grand Bazaar in Tehran as anger over economy increases
Seemingly spontaneous action believed to have been sparked by the poor economy and high unemployment
Protesters in the Iranian capital swarmed into its historic Grand Bazaar on Monday, news agencies reported, and forced shopkeepers to close their stalls in apparent anger over the Islamic Republic’s troubled economy, months after similar demonstrations rocked the country.
The seemingly unplanned action came a day after protests forced two major shopping centres for mobile phones and electronics to close in Tehran. It also signalled widespread unease in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
It wasn’t clear who led the protests. Iran’s semi-official news agencies Fars, ISNA and Tasnim described them as erupting after the Iranian rial dropped to 90,000 to the dollar on the country’s black market, despite government attempts to control the currency.
Videos posted on social media showed protesters at the bazaar heckling shopkeepers who refused to close, shouting in Farsi: “Coward!”
The head of Iran’s Chamber of Guilds, Ali Fazeli, was later quoted by Tasnim as saying the situation at the bazaar is calm.