Why are people protesting in Iran? Everything you need to know

Protests sparked by a widening economic crisis have swept across Iran for more than a week.

Demonstrations began in the capital, Tehran, on 28 December and have since spread to over 280 locations in 27 of Iran's 31 provinces, according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA). At least 36 people have died, two of which were members of Iran's security forces, and at least 2,076 people have been detained, HRANA reported.

The protests do not appear to be slowing down and have the potential to be the biggest challenge clerical rulers have seen since the 1979 Islamic Revolution when former supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini installed a Shia theocracy. Here is what you need to know.

What caused the demonstrations? Demonstrations began on 28 December when shopkeepers and bazaar merchants in Tehran staged a strike as the Iranian currency hit an all-time low against the US dollar. Iran's economy has been suffering for years and problems were exacerbated after Donald Trump reimposed US sanctions during his first term as president in 2018 and ended an international deal over the country's nuclear programme.

Sanctions from the United Nations were also reimposed on the country in September 2025. The country's long-standing economic crisis deepened again after Israel and the US launched strikes on the Islamic Republic in June last year in a 12-day war that targeted several of Iran's nuclear sites.

Iran maintains its nuclear energy programme is entirely peaceful and claimed it has not tried to build a nuclear bomb. 'We are all caught up in this' Problems with the economy has meant the nation has been struggling with an annual inflation rate of some 40%, with prices of essentials including cooking oil, meat, rice and cheese increasing beyond the means of most people.

"We are all caught up in this. I mean everyone," Shirin, a 45-year-old housewife in the city of Kermanshah, told Sky News.

"A few days ago a tray of eggs were 280,000 tomans and now that has gone up to 500,000 tomans [approximately £9]." She said the price of five kilograms of cooking oil had also jumped from 470,000 (approximately £11) to 1,200,000-1,400,000 tomans (approximately £25). It comes after Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced his government will halt the process of providing a preferential subsidised rate of foreign currency to those who import goods.

Instead, the state will give a monthly subsidy to each person in Iran. By doing so, merchants are likely to hike the price of goods when the measure comes into force on 10 January.

Last year, the nation also introduced a new pricing tier for its nationally subsidised petrol, raising the price and putting further pressure on the population. How widespread are the protests? While protests initially focused on the economy, they have since focused on wider political issues, with protesters being heard chanting anti-government statements.

Footage from 30 December showed university students marching alongside shopkeepers and merchants in Tehran, chanting "rest in peace Reza Shah.