Iran's protests explained

In Iran, tens of thousands have taken to the streets in a massive countrywide uprising. Dozens have been killed and hundreds arrested. While most demonstrations in Iran have historically started in the capital, organized by a well-educated upper middle class and politically active citizens in Tehran from where they spread outwards. The most recent demonstrations, however, ​started in the east and then spread to the rest of the country within days. They were started by working- and middle-class Iranians without a leader or a set agenda.

The surprising cause: the price of eggs.
Iran was recently hit by an outbreak of the bird flu, which required them to kill off some 17 million chickens. The shorted that resulted caused egg prices to nearly double.

Egg prices helped spark the uprising but Iranians are really protesting is a series of broken promises by their president Hassan Rohani. When Rouhani assumed office in 2013, he pledged to revitalize the economy. He took the first steps towards doing this in July 2015 when Iran reached a deal to significantly curb its nuclear program in exchange the West lifted international economic sanctions that hampered Iran’s economy for decades.

For a lot of Iranian, ​ this symbolized that Iran was opening up to the world and it was a reason to celebrate. So by the end of Rohani’s first term, he had achieved some economic success. His policies had brought down inflation and boosted economic growth, but unemployment and economic inequalities remained high and foreign investments remained low. For the working poor Rohani’s policies made little difference. So when he was back up for election in May 2017, he vowed to voters that he would make tangible changes to the economy within the first hundred days of his new term. He won the election, but the first hundred days came and went with no real tangible economic results.

The in December, Rohani published his proposal for his 2018 budget. The proposal included plans to give billions of euros to organizations that make up the hardline religious establishment in Iran. The budget also proposed cuts to subsidies to millions of citizens, raising the fuel prices and privatising public schools. Paired with the rising prices of eggs and other food staples, people around the country especially the poor and working-class, felt betrayed.

Protests erupted, quickly turning violent. These protestors had no leader, no set agenda, they were not driven by political organizers in the capital but by poor citizens and villagers in rural towns. Iran has a history of massive street protests transforming its society. In fact, the current Islamic Republic of Iran was born by street protests just like this.

These demonstrations began because of the slow economy and price of eggs but they have quickly changed into calls for reform and revolution