The Final Battle?: Iran Protests Spread As Prices Surge, Currency Hits Record Low

Various Iranian opposition channels on X, Telegram, and other social media have said ‘live fire’ has been used by Iranian security forces in ongoing crackdown efforts against the tens of thousands of citizen demonstrators who have taken over the streets of several cities and locales of the past days.

Such allegations, especially hurled at elite IRGC forces, are somewhat typical when protest movements have flared up in past years – and there have been prior examples in these of demonstrators and police alike being wounded or killed by gunfire. Live fire by Iranian security forces is a typical early allegation when unrest kicks off like this.

So far this round of anti-government unrest, which began Sunday by shopkeepers in Tehran as the rial has plunged to record lows against the dollar, has witnessed plenty of riot control measures – but no independent confirmation of gunfire on the crowds in the streets. It started when Tehran shopkeepers in the Jomhouri area and near the Grand Bazaar shuttered their stores and has since spread to the college campuses.

One thing is clear – it is growing by the hour as the movement has spread to several other cities on Tuesday, and now after three consecutive days is gong from the shop and business districts to the universities. Regional news sources say protests have hit at least ten universities across the Islamic Republic, including seven in Tehran.

Prior protest movements have really taken off once the youth get involved on a large scale. This current round, largely economically driven, could become the biggest yet – given it is tapping into a multitude of demographics.

With fast-moving protests gaining more steam, things are set for clashes with police and potentially even military operatives, given Iran’s prosecutor general has newly pledged a “decisive response” if protests spiral into violence. State media has quoted the official, Mohammad Movahedi-Azad, as saying that while peaceful protests are legitimate, any attempt to create insecurity would draw a harsh reaction.

But he already pointed the finger at the potential for external interference: “Any attempt to turn economic protests into a tool of insecurity, destruction of public property, or implementation of externally designed scenarios will inevitably be met with a legal, proportionate and decisive response,” warned Movahedi-Azad. This has been a common allegation in past uprisings, and not without precedent.

Protests in Iran continue to spread across several cities on their fourth day, with universities and additional workers’ unions joining the demonstrations. In the southern city of Fasa, initial reports of protestors seizing control of the governor’s building following the retreat… pic.twitter.com/W1Kgy5zaVn

— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) December 31, 2025

And now the issue of ‘external interference’ or hidden hand is ultra sensitive given that Iran and Israel are still in a tense showdown and de facto state of conflict, going back to the 12-day June war which saw Iranian cities and nuclear sites get pummeled by Israeli and American bombs.

But Israeli intelligence has raised the temperature from the outside, which is at the very least a form of psychological warfare. CBS writes:

His comments came days after the Mossad intelligence agency of Iran’s arch-foe Israel posted on social media that it was “with you on the ground,” in a message to Iranian protesters. Posting on its Persian-language X account, the spy agency encouraged Iranians to “go out into the streets together.“

Of course, the most obvious form of ‘external interference’ remains the years-long US and European sanctions regimen. This has not only brought entire Iranian sectors to their knees – from banking to energy to auto to even commercial aviation – but it appears to be unleashing the kind of societal anger and perhaps eventual instability which was intended in the first place.

Unverified clips like the below have been spreading among opposition voices, particularly ones identifying with the old Iranian Monarchy or else the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK):

BREAKING:

The city of Fasa has fallen into the hands of the Iranian people. They’re chanting “Reza Shah, bless your soul” from inside the governor’s seat of power.

Incredible.

pic.twitter.com/DfQvLfJpxK

— ðð¢ð¨ð¡ ððžð«ð  ♛ ︎ (@NiohBerg) December 31, 2025

This is perhaps why Iranian authorities have already tried to calm the streets by saying they will “listen”:

Since then, videos verified by BBC Persian have shown demonstrations in the cities of Karaj, Hamedan, Qeshm, Malard, Isfahan, Kermanshah, Shiraz and Yazd. Police were also seen using tear gas in an attempt to disperse demonstrators.

The Iranian government said it “recognizes the protests” and would listen “with patience, even if it is confronted with harsh voices”.

Iranian leadership also sees what happened with its ally Assad in Damascus, and how the Ba’ath government’s demise was assured by a full-on sanctions siege of economic strangulation, which was on top of a decade of proxy war.

Social media and western press accounts have floated the phrase “The Final Battle” connected with these protests:

The dawn is breaking in Persia.
​Right now, as we move into 2025, the streets of Iran are witnessing a “final battle” moment. This isn’t just about inflation or the Rial hitting historic lows—it’s about the unbreakable spirit of a people who have reached the point of “nothing to… pic.twitter.com/4QYw0lS1x1

— Afshine Emrani MD FACC (@afshineemrani) December 30, 2025

In parallel, Iranian society post-June war is in a new state of angst, paranoia, and even despair. The country is on a backfoot economically, militarily, its nuclear program decimated or at least set back by years, and there’s eroding trust – especially as authorities have tried and executed dozens for alleged Israeli-links.

As is expected when protests hit Iran, the pre-1979 monarchy in exile joints in the calls for uprising:

My courageous compatriots,

Your presence in the streets across Iran has kindled the flame of a national revolution. The continuation and expansion of your presence, and taking control of the streets, is today our foremost, vital priority.

I call upon the people of Iran to join… https://t.co/6UbEqhhctm

— Reza Pahlavi (@PahlaviReza) December 30, 2025

This has already cast a shadow over these protests, threatening to divide the people in the streets. Already videos have emerged of demonstrators being shouted down by other youth, accusing them of being ‘Mossad infiltrators.’ Likely there could be pro-government ‘counter-protests’ next, as has happened in prior major protest waves.