National Currency Crisis Triggers Deadly Protests and US-Iran Tensions

Iran’s parliament speaker has issued a stark warning that American military installations and personnel across the region could become targets if the United States pursues aggressive measures. The Friday threat followed President Trump’s statement that Washington would intervene should Iranian authorities use deadly force against demonstrators.
Violent confrontations have claimed seven lives since protests erupted Sunday over Iran’s deteriorating economic situation. The demonstrations initially began in Tehran with shopkeepers criticizing government policies but have spread nationwide as citizens express anger over currency devaluation and rampant inflation.
Trump’s intervention warning has inflamed tensions with Tehran’s leadership. A senior adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei responded by predicting that any US involvement in Iran’s domestic affairs would trigger chaos throughout the Middle East, potentially affecting multiple countries and threatening strategic interests.
The protests are rooted in severe economic distress. The rial has collapsed to approximately 1.4 million per US dollar, while official data shows inflation reached 42.5 percent in December. Combined with weak economic growth, these conditions have severely eroded citizens’ standard of living and created widespread anger directed at authorities.
President Pezeshkian’s administration has attempted to project understanding for protesters’ frustrations. In televised comments, Pezeshkian invoked Islamic principles to argue that addressing livelihood concerns carries serious moral weight. However, he has been transparent about his government’s severely limited options. The prosecutor general has tried to distinguish legitimate economic protests from security threats, promising decisive action only against the latter, though this distinction may prove impossible to maintain.