Iran Protests Explained: 5 Questions On Nationwide Unrest In The Islamic Republic

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Iran has been hit by a massive wave of protests since December 28, 2025, with repercussions extending far beyond the borders of the Islamic Republic, as US President Donald Trump urged demonstrators to continue protesting and seize control of state institutions.

1. What stirred the latest turmoil in Iran?

The demonstrations that have engulfed the country, posing one of the toughest challenges ever to the clerical leadership, erupted in late December in Tehran's Grand Bazaar, where hundreds of shopkeepers denounced the sharp fall in the rial currency, which lost nearly half its value against the dollar in 2025, with official inflation reaching 42.5% in December.

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Economic disparities between ordinary Iranians and the clerical and security elite, along with economic mismanagement and state corruption, reported even by state media, have fanned discontent at a time when inflation is pushing the price of many goods beyond the means of most people.

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The demonstrations moved from protesting economic grievances to demanding a wholesale change from the clerical system that has ruled Iran since the 1979 revolution that ousted the shah.

Protesters burned images of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and chanted "Death to the dictator", undeterred by security forces armed with tear gas, batons, and, in many cases, live ammunition.

Iran's rulers, while acknowledging economic difficulties, have blamed their longtime foes, the US and Israel, for fomenting the unrest. They appear intent on holding onto power at any cost, backed by a security apparatus refined over decades of suppressing ethnic revolts, student movements, and protests over economic hardship and social freedoms.

A combination of international sanctions and the Revolutionary Guards' sprawling economic empire has limited the government's ability to ease the dire economic situation.

2. How is the state responding?

Iran's authorities have tried to take a dual approach to the demonstrations, calling protests over economic problems legitimate while enforcing a harsh security crackdown.

"The government sees security forces and protesters as its children. To the best of our abilities, we have tried and will try to listen to their voices even if some have tried to hijack such protests," government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said on January 13.

Authorities have accused the US and Israel of fomenting unrest alongside the unidentified people, whom they call terrorists and who they say have taken over the protests.

About 2,000 people, including security personnel, have been killed in protests in Iran, according to an Iranian official, marking the first time authorities have acknowledged the high death toll from an intense crackdown on two weeks of nationwide unrest.

3. What are Trump's options?

Trump has warned Iran against cracking down on street protests, stressing that the US was ready to "come to the rescue" of Iranian protesters. As he put it, the US was "locked and loaded and ready to go”.

Trump has since repeated that threat and said he was looking at“very strong options” against Tehran – even as the death toll from the regime's ferocious crackdown soared to more than 2,000, according to rights groups.

In a social media post on January 13, the US president urged Iranians to continue protesting and said,“help is on its way”. He gave no details about what“help” he was leaning towards and when it might come.

The message came a day after he exercised economic leverage by announcing 25 per cent tariffs on any country that trades with Iran, and spoke of ways to restore internet access shut down by Tehran.

Trump's options are reported to include military strikes, using secret cyber weapons, widening sanctions and providing online help to anti-government sources.

"Nobody knows what President Trump is going to do except for President Trump," White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. "The world can keep waiting and guessing."

4. How bad is the situation for foreigners in Iran?

Many countries have issued advisories to their nationals who reside in Iran or are currently visiting the country in light of the ongoing tensions.

India's Ministry of External Affairs issued an advisory on January 14, urging Indian nationals to "avoid travel" to the Islamic Republic of Iran until further notice.

This notice follows another advisory issued on January 5 which urged Indians to "exercise due caution" and avoid areas of protests or demonstrations. It also asked all Indian nationals living in Iran on resident-visas are advised to register with the Indian Embassy, if not already done.

Pakistan's ambassador to Iran, Muhammad Mudassir, also took to X to urge Pakistanis in the Islamic Republic to keep their travel documents, particularly immigration-related documents such as their passports and ID cards, readily available with them. "Those who have expired documents, or whose documents are not in their possession, may kindly urgently approach us for timely and expeditious assistance," he added.

The US has also issued an updated advisory on Iran, asking all Americans there to leave immediately. "Do not travel to Iran for any reason. U.S. citizens in Iran should leave immediately. There is no US Embassy in Iran."

"US citizens in Iran face serious dangers, including terrorism, unrest, kidnapping, arbitrary arrest and wrongful detention. Some U.S. nationals have been held for years on false charges, subjected to torture, and even sentenced to death," the advisory, issued by the Department of State, added.

5. Will the UAE be affected?

A senior Emirati official said that tensions between the US and Iran will not have any impact on the UAE, stating the country is a very safe place to do business.

“Despite what you hear in the news every now and then that there is a crisis, I tell you that the worst crisis for us was eight years of war between Iran and Iraq... Nothing like that is happening now. We had a crisis between Israel, the US, and Iran, and that did not affect us,” said Sultan bin Sulayem, group chairman and CEO of DP World, and chairman of the Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation.

“My only concern is anything affecting the maritime industry, because we need to make sure that ships are coming. I don't foresee anything happening in Iran that would affect our business," he added.

In comments on the US 25 per cent tariffs on any country that trades with Iran, the UAE's Minister of Foreign Trade, Thani Al Zeyoudi, said that it was unclear how this announcement of tariffs would be implemented and whether it would affect the nation's food imports.

Speaking at an event, the UAE minister said that "there is no clarity" on the tariffs as of yet, but details continue to emerge.

The UAE is Iran's second-largest trading partner, just behind China and ahead of Iraq, with its food and food products being one of the UAE's major imports.

(With inputs from Reuters and AFP)

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