Protesters clash with security forces in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar; Pezeshkian: Government ‘can’t handle this alone’

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

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.

Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, while ordering a government investigation into one incident involving the protests, otherwise signals the crisis may be rapidly moving beyond the control of officials.

“We should not expect the government to handle all of this alone,” Pezeshkian says in a televised speech. “The government simply does not have that capacity.”

Tenth day of anti-establishment protests in Iran

Viral photo shows protesters sitting in front of security forces in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar.

Location: https://t.co/oIdxft8vwC@GeoConfirmed pic.twitter.com/zVlXNcbPtf

— Ghoncheh Habibiazad | غنچه (@GhonchehAzad) January 6, 2026