This looks bigger than a protest, the regime is bracing for something ugly and it shows
Protesters conducted a sit-in at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, witnesses say, with security forces ultimately firing tear gas and dispersing demonstrators as the rest of the market shut down.
The protest at the Grand Bazaar, the beating heart for centuries of both Iran’s economic and political life, represents the latest signal that the demonstrations likely are to continue as the country’s rial currency fell to a record low.
Already, violence surrounding the protests has killed at least 35 people with authorities detaining more than 1,200 others, activists abroad say.
Tenth day of anti-establishment protests in Iran
Video shows a group of protesters dispersed in Tehran
Location: https://t.co/aG1KGN8UE2pic.twitter.com/Hz0oeqng9o
— Ghoncheh Habibiazad | غنچه (@GhonchehAzad) January 6, 2026
The protest at the Grand Bazaar, the beating heart for centuries of both Iran’s economic and political life, represents the latest signal that the demonstrations likely are to continue as the country’s rial currency fell to a record low Tuesday. Already, violence surrounding the protests has killed at least 35 people with authorities detaining more than 1,200 others, activists abroad say.
Meanwhile, the situation is likely to worsen as Iran’s Central Bank drastically reduced the subsidized exchange rates for dollars it offers to importers and producers in the country. That likely will see merchants pass on price hikes in the coming days for goods directly onto consumers, whose life savings already have dwindled over years of international sanctions targeting the Islamic Republic.
https://apnews.com/article/iran-economic-protests-129cea0f8c39b6d5b5603c634acaa61e
The supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reportedly has an “escape plan” that involves fleeing to Russia if the current nationwide protests continue to intensify, British newspaper The Times reported on Sunday.
The plan, called “Plan B” by the British report, would include 86-year-old Khamenei and 20 close people, including family and aides.
It will also involve a way of taking his vast asset network, which, according to a 2013 Reuters investigation cited by The Times, is valued at about $95 billion, and includes the Setad organization, one of the most powerful organizations in Iran, and the Ayatollah’s system of semi-state charitable foundations known for their financial obfuscation.