For many Iranians, the crisis gripping their country is not felt first in geopolitics or diplomacy, but in kitchens, classrooms and hospital queues, as prices sour and services strain.
Prices have risen faster than wages. The currency has lost value, with the rial plunging to historic lows against the dollar. Jobs are scarce. And trust in the political system has eroded after years of repression and broken promises.
Against this backdrop, Iran is confronting a volatile mix of domestic unrest and external confrontation, leaving the country more fragile than at any point in recent years.
How did Iran reach this moment?
The current unrest is the result of long-term pressure rather than a single spark.
Iran’s political system, dominated by clerical authority and powerful security institutions, has faced repeated challenges from its population. Over the past decade, protests have erupted over fuel prices, unpaid wages, women’s rights and political freedoms. Each wave was suppressed, but none fully resolved.
The death of Mahsa Amini in police custody in 2022 marked a turning point, especially for women and young people. Although that movement was eventually crushed, it reshaped public defiance and left a lasting scar on state legitimacy.
At the same time, Iran’s economy has steadily worsened. Years of sanctions, compounded by mismanagement and corruption, have driven inflation and unemployment. For many families, everyday survival has become a struggle.
“These are not ideological protests,” one Tehran-based economist said. “They are about dignity, work and being able to live.”
What is happening inside Iran now?
Iran has not seen one continuous nationwide uprising, but rather recurring pockets of protest and resistance.
Workers strike over delayed salaries. Students protest restrictions and surveillance. Women quietly defy mandatory dress codes. In some cities, funerals for victims of state violence turn into moments of collective dissent.
The government has responded with arrests, internet slowdowns, and heavy policing, preventing protests from coalescing into a sustained national movement. Still, the unrest persists, reflecting deep frustration rather than organized rebellion.
For many Iranians, the conflict is emotional as much as political, a sense of exhaustion and betrayal after years of promises that life would improve.
How do ordinary Iranians experience this conflict?
The impact is deeply personal.
Parents worry about children leaving the country, or never finding stable work. Young people speak of futures shrinking rather than expanding. Women navigate public spaces under constant scrutiny. Families cut back on food, healthcare and education.
While the state frames unrest as foreign-backed or security-driven, many Iranians describe their anger as quiet, cumulative and rooted in daily humiliation.
What role do regional tensions play?
Iran’s internal strain is unfolding alongside escalating regional pressure.
Iran remains locked in a long-running confrontation with Israel and hostility with the United States. It supports armed groups across the Middle East, seeing them as strategic buffers against attack. Israel views this network as an existential threat.
This shadow conflict has intensified since the war in Gaza, raising fears that Iran could be drawn into a broader regional confrontation, even as it struggles to maintain stability at home.
For Iranians, these external tensions often feel distant yet costly, bringing fresh sanctions and deeper isolation.
Why is the nuclear issue still central?
Iran’s nuclear programme remains at the heart of global concern.
After the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal, Iran expanded uranium enrichment, while denying any intention to build a weapon. Western governments say Iran is closer than ever to nuclear capability; Israel has vowed it will not allow that to happen.
Diplomatic efforts to revive negotiations have stalled, leaving military threats, sanctions and uncertainty in their place.
What does the world want from Iran, and what do Iranians want?
Internationally, the focus remains on containment: preventing nuclear escalation, limiting regional conflict, and responding to human rights abuses through sanctions.
Inside Iran, the demands are more basic.
People want jobs that pay, laws that protect rather than punish, and a government that listens without force. Many no longer expect rapid change, only relief from constant pressure.
What happens next?
Most analysts say Iran’s leadership is not in immediate danger of collapse. The state retains control over security forces and key institutions.
But the risk lies in slow erosion rather than sudden revolution: a society increasingly detached from its rulers, an economy under strain, and a country navigating external threats with little internal consensus.
For now, Iran’s conflict remains unresolved — lived daily by millions, and watched warily by the world.
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