Jewelry sellers in Tehran’s bazaar and currency exchange agents were among the first to raise their voices, shuttering their shops in protest as early as Sunday, December 28, in the streets of the Iranian capital. Soaring gold prices and the sudden collapse of the rial, the national currency, devastated their businesses, compounding the economic malaise in a country battered by years of government mismanagement, endemic corruption and international sanctions. As if a spark had been lit, the protesters were soon joined by shopkeepers from other parts of the capital, who left their stalls one after another to march in the streets.

Several thoroughfares in Tehran were packed with people on Tuesday, as the movement spread to major cities across the country: Isfahan, Shiraz, Kermanshah and Yazd. In some places, universities also erupted in anger against the authorities, who responded with tear gas. “At 10 am, one of my colleagues took the initiative to cut the electricity to all the shops,” an Isfahan shopkeeper, contacted via messaging and who wished to remain anonymous, told Le Monde. “Like a domino effect, four neighboring shopping galleries followed our example. An entire street was shut down. That made me realize the impact a single courageous person can have in sparking a large-scale protest movement.”

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