According to reports published on social media, protest gatherings and strikes by bazaar merchants in Tehran spread to various parts of the capital on their second day.
The striking merchants chanted protest slogans during their Monday, December 29, gatherings, including “Death to the dictator,” “Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, my life for Iran,” “The bazaar merchant may die but will not accept humiliation,” and “This homeland will not become a homeland until the mullah is shrouded.”
Subsequently, chants of “This year is the year of blood, Seyed Ali will be overthrown” were heard among the protesters.
Tehran Bazaar Shopkeepers Stage Protests in Response to Surge in Foreign Currency Prices
Reports indicate that merchants and shopkeepers halted their business activities and held protest gatherings in bazaars and commercial centers, including Chaharsouq, the Gold Bazaar, Alaeddin Mall (a major electronics shopping center in Tehran), Charsou Commercial Complex, Delavaran Furniture Market, Jafari Bazaar, Shoush Market, the Grand Bazaar of Tehran, Amin Hozour Market, and Bagh-e Sepahsalar.
At the same time, the scope of these protests extended to streets and main urban thoroughfares.
The protests then spread to squares, intersections, and other areas of Tehran.
As the protests expanded, reports indicated that security and law enforcement forces were deployed in front of Tehran’s City Theater, a major cultural landmark.
At the same time, the state-run Fars News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that the gathering of shopkeepers and bazaar merchants continued from Lalehzar Street to Istanbul Square.
This video shows that during today's protests in Tehran, a protester sat on the ground in the middle of Jomhuri Street in front of Iranian regime motorcycle officers, preventing them from passing.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/091rulYWeA
— Iran Focus (@Iran_Focus) December 29, 2025
In some other Iranian cities, including Karaj, citizens protesting the dire economic situation and fluctuations in the foreign exchange market also held gatherings.
Videos and reports published from Karaj and Tehran show that Iranian regime security forces clashed with protesting citizens in many areas.
In some areas of Tehran, including Kargar Street and Bagh-e Sepahsalar, forces used tear gas against protesting shopkeepers.
Yesterday as well, shopkeepers at the Alaeddin Mobile Mall, the Charsou Commercial Complex, and the Shoush Iron Market protested by closing their shops in response to the rise in the dollar exchange rate and called on other merchants to join the strike.
