Price protests turn political in Iran as rallies spread
Skip to main content
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Splash
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Long Read
  • Games
  • Epaper
  • More
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Subscribe
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard
TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2022
TUESDAY, MAY 24, 2022
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Splash
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Long Read
  • Games
  • Epaper
  • More
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Subscribe
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
Price protests turn political in Iran as rallies spread

Middle East

Reuters
15 May, 2022, 01:50 pm
Last modified: 15 May, 2022, 07:50 pm

Related News

  • Iran buries slain Revolutionary Guards colonel, vows revenge
  • Two Iranian pilots killed after F7 jet crashes
  • Five dead, scores trapped after building collapses in Iran
  • Iran's Revolutionary Guards say colonel assassinated in Tehran
  • Qatari FM says Iran's leadership open for a compromise on nuclear file

Price protests turn political in Iran as rallies spread

Reuters
15 May, 2022, 01:50 pm
Last modified: 15 May, 2022, 07:50 pm
An Iranian man holds stacks of bread as he walks along a street in Tehran, Iran May 1, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
An Iranian man holds stacks of bread as he walks along a street in Tehran, Iran May 1, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS

Spreading protests across Iran over a cut in state subsidies on food have turned political with slogans calling for top leaders to step down, according to posts on social media, and unconfirmed reports said at least four protesters were killed.

Protests began in some cities last week sparked by the government's subsidy cut decision that caused price hikes in Iran by as much as 300% for a variety of flour-based staples.

The government also raised prices of some basic goods such as cooking oil and dairy products in Iran, where almost half of its 85 million population is under poverty line, according to official figures.

Now protesters have expanded their demands, calling for more political freedom, an end to the Islamic Republic and the downfall of its leaders, according to witnesses and social media posts.

Videos posted online showed demonstrators burned images of Iran's top authority, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and called for the return of Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of the toppled Shah of Iran.

Footage on Twitter showed protests in dozens of provinces such as Ardabil, Khuzestan, Lorestan and Razavi Khorasan. Some state-affiliated media, meanwhile, said calm had been restored in the country.

However, Protests continued on early Sunday in at least 40 cities and towns across Iran, including in the town of Quchan near the Turkmen border, the northern city of Rasht and the western city of Hamedan, according to videos posted on social media.

Reuters could not independently confirm authenticity of social media posts and videos. Iran's state news agency IRNA said on Friday that some shops were "set on fire in some cities", prompting police to arrest scores of "provocateurs".

The semi-official ILNA news agency on Saturday, citing a lawmaker, said one protester was killed in Dezful, a city in the oil producing southwestern province of Khuzestan. But videos on Twitter showed at least four demonstrators were killed by security forces.

Residents of the capital, contacted by Reuters on Sunday, reported a heavy presence of security forces across Tehran.

Global internet monitor NetBlocks on Saturday reported a disruption lasting hours in Iran amid protests, a potential move by the authorities to prevent protesters from communicating with each other and sharing video on social media.

The latest unrest adds to mounting pressure on Iran's rulers, who are struggling to keep the crippled economy afloat under U.S. sanctions, reimposed since 2018 when Washington ditched Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with major powers. Talks to revive the pact have stalled since March.

Fearing a revival of protests in recent years that seemed to shed light on the establishment's vulnerability to popular anger over the economy, the government has described its decision as "fair redistribution" of subsidies to lower-income people.

In 2019, what began as scattered protests over a surprise increase in fuel prices, quickly spread into one of the biggest challenges to Iran's rulers, sparking the bloodiest crackdown in the 40-year history of the Islamic Republic.

The reported death toll in 2019 has varied between a Reuters account of 1,500 dead and an Amnesty International figure of more than 300. Both have been dismissed by Iranian authorities.

Top News / World+Biz

Iran

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Gautam Adani, right, talking with Neeta Ambani, the wife of his rival Mukesh Ambani.Photographer: PRAKASH SINGH/AFP
    India’s billionaire race sees one tycoon pulling away
  • Bangladesh to import 10 lakh tonnes of wheat from India
    Bangladesh to import 10 lakh tonnes of wheat from India
  • To boost tourism in Rangamati, at least 10 small and large resorts have been established in recent years. The resorts offer picturesque views away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Photo: TBS
    Bangladesh up 3 notches on global travel and tourism index

MOST VIEWED

  • A Turkish soldier waves a flag on Mount Barsaya, northeast of Afrin, Syria January 28 ,2018. REUTERS/ Khalil Ashawi/File Photo
    Erdogan's vow to expand Syria operations raises stakes in Turkey-NATO row
  • The family members of Colonel Sayad Khodai, a member of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps cry over his coffin at his funeral ceremony, in Tehran, Iran, May 24, 2022. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
    Iran buries slain Revolutionary Guards colonel, vows revenge
  • F-35A fighter jets are seen during a military exercise "Elephant Walk" at an airbase, in this handout provided by the South Korean Defense Ministry on March 25, 2022. South Korean Defense Ministry/Handout via REUTERS
    Two Iranian pilots killed after F7 jet crashes
  • FILE PHOTO: A commercial airplane is seen at the Hamid Karzai International Airport a day after U.S troops withdrawal in Kabul, Afghanistan August 31, 2021. REUTERS/Stringer
    Taliban to sign agreement with UAE to cooperate on airport operations
  • Members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards march during a parade to commemorate the anniversary of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-88), in Tehran September 22, 2010. REUTERS/Morteza Nikoubazl/File Photo
    Iran's Revolutionary Guards say colonel assassinated in Tehran
  • Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)/ Tehran Times
    Members of Israeli intelligence network discovered and arrested in Iran

Related News

  • Iran buries slain Revolutionary Guards colonel, vows revenge
  • Two Iranian pilots killed after F7 jet crashes
  • Five dead, scores trapped after building collapses in Iran
  • Iran's Revolutionary Guards say colonel assassinated in Tehran
  • Qatari FM says Iran's leadership open for a compromise on nuclear file

Features

The balcony railings of the Boro Sardar Bari in Sonargaon. Made of cast iron, these railings feature vertical posts with intricate designs on top. Photo: Noor-A-Alam

The evolution of railing and grille designs

11h | Habitat
A Russian army service member fires a howitzer during drills at the Kuzminsky range in the southern Rostov region, Russia January 26, 2022. REUTERS/Sergey Pivovarov/File Photo

3 months of Ukraine war : Miscalculations, resistance and redirected focus

12h | Analysis
Musk is denying the sexual harassment allegation that surfaced this week. Photo: Bloomberg

Elon Musk’s crazily banal week 

1d | Panorama
Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED: A touch of brilliance to your life

Asus Zenbook 14 Flip OLED: A touch of brilliance to your life

1d | Brands

More Videos from TBS

Bangladesh Bank relaxes rules to deal with dollar crisis

Bangladesh Bank relaxes rules to deal with dollar crisis

46m | Videos
Russia claims use of laser weapons, Ukraine denies

Russia claims use of laser weapons, Ukraine denies

1h | Videos
Celebrity Gallery in Rajshahi like Madame Tussauds

Celebrity Gallery in Rajshahi like Madame Tussauds

2h | Videos
Burger-lover student becomes self-dependent, provides employment

Burger-lover student becomes self-dependent, provides employment

2h | Videos

Most Read

1
Tk100 for bike, Tk2,400 for bus to cross Padma Bridge
Bangladesh

Tk100 for bike, Tk2,400 for bus to cross Padma Bridge

2
A packet of US five-dollar bills is inspected at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington March 26, 2015. REUTERS/Gary Cameron
Banking

Dollar hits Tk100 mark in open market

3
Bangladesh at risk of losing ownership of Banglar Samriddhi
Bangladesh

Bangladesh at risk of losing ownership of Banglar Samriddhi

4
PK Halder: How a scamster rose from humble beginnings to a Tk11,000cr empire
Crime

PK Halder: How a scamster rose from humble beginnings to a Tk11,000cr empire

5
BSEC launches probe against Abul Khayer Hero and allies
Stocks

BSEC launches probe against Abul Khayer Hero and allies

6
The reception is a volumetric box-shaped room that has two glass walls on both the front and back ends and the other two walls are adorned with interior plants, wood and aluminium screens. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
Habitat

The United House: Living and working inside nature

The Business Standard
Top
  • Home
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • About Us
  • Bangladesh
  • International
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Economy
  • Sitemap
  • RSS

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net

Copyright © 2022 THE BUSINESS STANDARD All rights reserved. Technical Partner: RSI Lab