Strikes and protests spread across Tehran for a second consecutive day as Iran’s currency plunged to record lows, intensifying economic anger among shopkeepers and traders.

Axar.az reports that merchants in major commercial districts, including parts of the Grand Bazaar, Lalehzar Street, the gold market, mobile phone centers, iron and home appliance markets, closed shops, and staged gatherings to protest rising prices, economic mismanagement, and the rial’s collapse to around 1,445,000 per dollar.

Security forces used tear gas against some protesting shopkeepers, while Iran’s judiciary warned of harsh penalties for those accused of disrupting the economy.

State-linked and Revolutionary Guards–affiliated media portrayed the strikes as a foreign-backed plot aimed at destabilizing the country.

Analysts and activists said the protests reflect deepening economic strain on small businesses, collapsing purchasing power, and growing public frustration, with warnings that the unrest could escalate further if conditions continue to deteriorate.