Iran unrest: New protests over economic pain test Pezeshkian and the regime

Iran has entered 2026 with two Irans on display. On one side, state-led ceremonies, flags, and official speeches marking the anniversary of Qassem Soleimani’s assassination. On the other, streets filled with anger, fear, and defiance, as protesters clash with security forces across Tehran and several provincial cities. What began as an economic outburst over a collapsing currency and runaway inflation is now slipping into something more familiar, and more dangerous. Is this the return of the 2022 Mahsa Amini moment or something bigger? Why are people dying again on Iran’s streets? And what does this unrest mean for President Masoud Pezeshkian, a leader once seen as a reformist hope inside a rigid system? As chants shift from bread-and-butter issues to open political slogans, Iran faces a test it has postponed for years. Add to that Donald Trump’s warnings from Washington, memories of past Western pressure, and Tehran’s long-standing claims of foreign interference — and the stakes rise far beyond Iran’s borders. In this episode of Grey Zone, Ananya Dutta breaks down the protests, the economic trigger, the political fault lines, and why an unstable Iran could reshape the Middle East once again.