Iran’s currency drops to record low against dollar as tensions soar

Rial hits record ‍1,500,000 rials to ‍the US ⁠dollar, weeks after protests prompted by currency’s falling value spready across the country.Published On 27 Jan 2026Iran’s currency has dropped to ⁠a record ‍1,500,000 rials to ‍the US ⁠dollar, according to several Iranian ​currency ‌tracking websites, weeks after protests ‌sparked by ‌the ⁠rial’s dwindling value rocked ‌the country.Exchange shops on Tuesday offered the record-low rial-to-dollar rate in Tehran, deepening the economic hardship for large swaths of the Iranian populace suffering from decades of extensive economic mismanagement and international sanctions.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Envoys from US meet Netanyahu as Israel continues to bomb Gazalist 2 of 3US military moves Navy, Air Force assets to the Middle East: What to knowlist 3 of 3Rubio speaks to Iraqi PM al-Sudani amid tensions with Iranend of listIran’s newly appointed ‍Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said that “the foreign exchange market is following its natural course.”This latest dip comes nearly a month after shopkeepers in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar shut their stores in protest against the falling value of the rial, hyperinflation and a government decision to end certain food and fuel subsidies.The demonstrations that began in the capital on December 28 quickly spread across the country, with protesters demanding political change. They were met by a violent crackdown by Iranian security forces, the scale of which is only starting to become clear as the country faced more than two weeks of internet blackout – the most comprehensive in its history.Iran’s government said at least 3,117 people were killed in the unrest, saying 2,427 were civilians and security forces, and labelled the rest “terrorists.”The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, which verifies each death with a network of activists in Iran, put the death toll at 5,777 protesters, 214 government-affiliated forces, 86 children and 49 civilians who were not participating in the demonstrations.