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Iran’s Government Offers Dialogue as Protests Spread to Universities
People walk through a local market as the value of the Iranian rial drops, in Tehran, Iran, Dec. 20, 2025. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Protests over Iran’s soaring cost of living spread to several universities on Tuesday, with students joining shopkeepers and bazaar merchants, semi-official media reported, as the government offered dialogue with demonstrators.
Iran’s rial currency has lost nearly half its value against the dollar in 2025, with inflation reaching 42.5% in December in a country where unrest has repeatedly flared in recent years and which is facing US sanctions and threats of Israeli strikes.
President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a social media post late on Monday that he had asked the interior minister to listen to “legitimate demands” of protesters. Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said a dialogue mechanism would be set up and include talks with protest leaders.
“We officially recognize the protests … We hear their voices and we know that this originates from natural pressure arising from the pressure on people’s livelihoods,” she said on Tuesday in comments carried by state media.
PROTESTERS MARCH STREETS IN TEHRAN
Video of protests, verified by Reuters as taking place in Tehran, showed scores of people marching along a street chanting “Rest in peace Reza Shah,” a reference to the founder of the royal dynasty ousted in the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Footage aired on Iranian state television on Monday showed people gathered in central Tehran chanting slogans.
The semi-official Fars News Agency reported that hundreds of students held protests on Tuesday at four universities in Tehran.
On social media, some Iranians voiced support for the protests with one, Soroosh Dadkhah, saying high prices and corruption had led people “to the point of explosion” and another, Masoud Ghasemi, warning of protests spreading across the country.
Iranian authorities have quashed previous bouts of unrest that have flared over issues ranging from the economy to drought, women’s rights, and political freedoms, with violent security actions and widespread arrests.
The government has not said what form dialogue will take with the leaders of this week’s demonstrations, the first major protests since Israeli and US strikes on Iran in June, which prompted widespread expressions of patriotic solidarity.
Pezeshkian said in a meeting with trade unions and market activists on Tuesday that the government will do its best to resolve their issues and address their worries, according to state media.
SANCTIONS HAMMER ECONOMY
Iran’s economy has been in deep trouble for years after US sanctions were reimposed in 2018 when US President Donald Trump ended an international deal over the country’s nuclear program during his first term in office.
United Nations sanctions on the country were reimposed in September and Reuters reported in October that several high-level meetings had been held on how to avert economic collapse, circumvent sanctions and manage public anger.
Economic disparities between ordinary Iranians and the clerical and security elite, along with economic mismanagement and state corruption – reported even by state media – have fanned discontent at a time when inflation is pushing many prices beyond the means of most people.
The currency slid to 1.4 million rials to the US dollar on Tuesday according to private exchange platforms, a record low after starting the year at 817,500 rials to the dollar.
Monthly annualized inflation figures have not dropped below 36.4% since the Iranian new year started in late March according to official figures.
On Monday the central bank chief resigned with Iranian media saying the government‘s recent economic liberalization policies had put pressure on the open-rate rial market, where ordinary Iranians buy foreign currency. Most businesses use official currency exchanges where the rial price is supported.
In 2022, Iran was buffeted by protests across the country over price hikes, including for bread, a major staple.
Over the same period and into 2023, the country’s clerical rulers faced the boldest unrest in years touched off by the death of a young Iranian Kurdish woman, Mahsa Amini, in the custody of the morality police, who enforce strict dress codes.
Iran remains under intense international pressure, with Trump saying on Monday that he might back another round of Israeli airstrikes if Tehran resumed work on ballistic missiles or any nuclear weapons program.
The US and Israel carried out 12 days of airstrikes on Iran’s military and its nuclear installations in June aimed at stopping what they believe were efforts to develop the means to build an atomic weapon.
Iran says its nuclear energy program is entirely peaceful and that it has not tried to build a nuclear bomb.
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Israel Court Extends Detention of Gaza Flotilla Activists
Activist Saif Abu Keshek, a member of the Global Sumud Flotilla detained by Israel, sits at a magistrate’s court for a detention extension hearing in Ashkelon, southern Israel, May 3, 2026. REUTERS/Amir Cohen
An Israeli court has extended by two days the detention of two activists arrested aboard a Gaza-bound flotilla that was intercepted by Israeli forces in international waters near Greece, their lawyer said on Sunday.
Saif Abu Keshek, a Spanish national, and Brazilian Thiago Avila were detained by Israeli authorities late on Wednesday and brought to Israel, while more than 100 other pro-Palestinian activists aboard the boats were taken to the Greek island of Crete.
A court spokesperson confirmed that their remand had been extended until May 5.
The governments of Spain and Brazil issued a joint statement on Friday calling their detention illegal.
The activists were part of a second Global Sumud flotilla, launched in an attempt to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza by delivering humanitarian assistance. The ships had set sail from Barcelona on April 12.
Israeli authorities requested a four-day extension of their arrest on suspicion of offenses that include assisting the enemy during wartime, contact with a foreign agent, membership in and providing services to a terrorist organization, and the transfer of property for a terrorist organization, said rights group Adalah, which is assisting in the activists’ defense.
Hadeel Abu Salih, the men’s attorney, said that the two deny the allegations. Their arrest was unlawful due to a lack of jurisdiction, she told Reuters at the Ashkelon Magistrate’s Court after the hearing, adding that the mission was meant to provide aid to civilians in Gaza, not to any militant group.
Abu Salih said that Abu Keshek and Avila were subjected to violence en route to Israel and kept handcuffed and blindfolded until Thursday morning.
Asked for comment, the Israeli military referred Reuters to the Israeli foreign ministry, which said that staff were compelled to act to stop what it described as violent physical obstruction by Abu Keshek and Avila. All measures taken were lawful, it said.
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Israel Initiates Project to Counter Drone Threats in Sweeping Military Upgrade Plan
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu participates in the state memorial ceremony for the fallen of the Iron Swords War on Mount Herzl, Jerusalem on Oct. 16, 2025. Photo: Alex Kolomoisky/POOL/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Israel is moving forward with a new initiative to counter drone threats, as part of a broader strategy to expand military capabilities and reduce reliance on foreign defense suppliers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said.
The drone project, ordered several weeks ago, is already in development, with officials preparing to review its initial progress. While details remain limited, the effort reflects growing concern over the increasing use of unmanned aerial systems in regional conflicts.
Netanyahu framed the initiative within a wider defense doctrine centered on “strengthening and independence,” emphasizing the need for Israel to maintain a decisive military edge. He noted that Israel is acquiring two squadrons of advanced fighter jets, including the F-35 Lightning II and the F-15IA, to reinforce its air superiority.
“These aircraft strengthen Israel’s overwhelming air superiority,” he said, referencing recent military operations as evidence of that advantage. He added that Israeli pilots are capable of operating at long range if necessary.
Alongside procurement, the government is planning a major expansion of domestic defense manufacturing. Netanyahu announced that Israel will allocate an additional 350 billion shekels ($95 billion) to the defense budget over the next decade, aiming to produce more of its own armaments and reduce dependence on foreign countries.
He also pointed to future ambitions to develop advanced aircraft domestically, describing the effort as potentially transformative for Israel’s defense industry.
The drone defense program, though still in early stages, is expected to become a key component of this strategy. Netanyahu acknowledged that the project will take time to fully develop but stressed that it is actively being pursued.
Despite the evolving nature of the threats, he reiterated Israel’s long-standing objective of maintaining military superiority across all domains.
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Iran Presents US 3-Step Plan to Move from Ceasefire to End of War
Atomic symbol and USA and Iranian flags are seen in this illustration taken, September 8, 2022. Photo: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
i24 News – Iran has reportedly submitted a new draft agreement to the United States outlining a three-stage framework aimed at de-escalating regional tensions and restructuring oversight of its nuclear program, according to reporting from Al Jazeera.
The proposal was allegedly delivered via Pakistan and combines military, maritime, and nuclear commitments with a long-term regional security vision.
The first phase calls for transforming the current ceasefire into a permanent end to hostilities within 30 days, alongside a regional non-aggression pact that would include Iran’s allies and Israel. It also proposes steps such as gradually reopening the Strait of Hormuz, easing maritime restrictions on Iran, and reducing military activity in surrounding waters.
The second phase focuses on Iran’s nuclear program. It reportedly includes a freeze on uranium enrichment for up to 15 years, followed by a return to limited enrichment at 3.6%, in line with earlier international agreements.
The draft explicitly rejects dismantling Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. It also outlines possible arrangements for existing uranium stockpiles, including export or reprocessing, and calls for a structured sanctions relief mechanism tied to compliance milestones.
The final phase envisions broader regional engagement, with Tehran proposing a strategic dialogue between Iran and Arab states to establish a comprehensive security framework across the Middle East.