Iran’s president calls on gov’t to hear ‘legitimate demands’ of protesters

Masoud Pezeshkian has promised to take action to protect purchasing power of Iranians as currency plummets to record lows.Published On 30 Dec 2025Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has called on his government to listen to protesters’ “legitimate demands” and pledged to protect their livelihoods following two days of demonstrations in Tehran against the plummeting national currency and dire economic conditions.In comments on social media that were also reported by the government’s IRNA news agency on Tuesday, Pezeshkian acknowledged the concerns of the protesters, who have closed their shops and chanted in the streets in demonstrations in the capital since Sunday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Iran’s government budget reveals tough road ahead as currency hits new lowlist 2 of 4Iran president says US, Israel, Europe waging ‘full-fledged war’ on countrylist 3 of 4Trump threatens Hamas, warns Iran of more strikes after Netanyahu talkslist 4 of 4Protests, strikes after Iran’s economic situation rapidly deterioratesend of list“The livelihood of the people is my daily concern,” Pezeshkian posted on X.“I have tasked the Minister of the Interior to hear the legitimate demands of the protesters through dialogue with their representatives, so that the government can act with all its might to resolve problems and respond responsibly.”The government had “fundamental actions on the agenda to reform the monetary and banking system and preserve the purchasing power of the people”, he added.Shopkeepers take to the streetsThe protests in Tehran have broken out as the Iranian rial has plunged to new record lows against the US dollar.The rial has been rapidly declining over recent weeks as the United States and its Western allies pile on their sanctions and diplomatic pressure, and the threat of another war with Israel lingers.Shopkeepers near two main tech and mobile phone shopping centres in Tehran’s Jomhouri area, as well as in and around the Grand Bazaar, closed their businesses and took to the streets on Sunday, with further protests on Monday afternoon.