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Iran president tells govt listen to protesters ‘legitimate demands’

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Iran president tells govt listen to protesters ‘legitimate demands’


Irans President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a press conference in Tehran, Iran, September 16, 2024. — Reuters
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian attends a press conference in Tehran, Iran, September 16, 2024. — Reuters
  • Tehran shopkeepers keep stores shut amid currency plunge.
  • Protesters demand intervention on exchange-rate volatility.
  • Central bank governor replaced as crisis deepens.

TEHRAN: Iran’s president urged his government to listen to the “legitimate demands” of protesters, state media reported on Tuesday, after several days of demonstrations by shopkeepers in Tehran over economic hardships.

Shopkeepers in the capital had shut their stores for the second day in a row on Monday, after Iran’s embattled currency hit new lows on the unofficial market.

The US dollar was trading at around 1.42 million rials on Sunday — compared to 820,000 rials a year ago — and the euro nearing 1.7 million rials, according to price monitoring websites.

“I have asked the interior minister to listen to the legitimate demands of the protesters by engaging in dialogue with their representatives so that the government can do everything in its power to resolve the problems and act responsibly,” President Masoud Pezeshkian said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency.

Protesters “are demanding immediate government intervention to rein in exchange-rate fluctuations and set out a clear economic strategy”, the pro-labour news agency ILNA reported Monday.

Price fluctuations are paralysing the sales of some imported goods, with both sellers and buyers preferring to postpone transactions until the outlook becomes clearer, AFP correspondents noted.

“Continuing to do business under these conditions has become impossible,” ILNA quoted protesters as saying.

The conservative-aligned Fars news agency released images showing a crowd of demonstrators occupying a major thoroughfare in central Tehran, known for its many shops.

Another photograph appeared to show tear gas being used to disperse protesters.

“Minor physical clashes were reported… between some protesters and the security forces,” Fars said, warning that such gatherings could lead to instability.

Battered economy

Iranian Chief Justice Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei called for “the swift punishment of those responsible for currency fluctuations”, the justice ministry’s Mizan agency reported Monday.

Shopkeepers and traders protest in the street against the economic conditions and Irans embattled currency in Tehran on December 29, 2025. — AFP
Shopkeepers and traders protest in the street against the economic conditions and Iran’s embattled currency in Tehran on December 29, 2025. — AFP 

The government has also announced the replacement of the central bank governor.

“By decision of the president, Abdolnasser Hemmati will be appointed governor of the Central Bank,” presidency communications official Mehdi Tabatabaei posted on X.

Hemmati is a former economy and finance minister who was dismissed by parliament in March because of the sharp depreciation of the rial.

Pezeshkian delivered on Sunday the budget for the next Persian year to parliament, vowing to fight inflation and the high cost of living.

In December, inflation stood at 52% year-on-year, according to official statistics. But this figure still falls far short of many price increases, especially for basic necessities.

The country’s economy, already battered by decades of Western sanctions, was further strained after the United Nations in late September reinstated international sanctions linked to the country’s nuclear programme that were lifted 10 years ago.

Western powers and Israel accuse Iran of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons, a charge Tehran denies.





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Dubai introduces new public safety laws, fines up to AED2m

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Dubai introduces new public safety laws, fines up to AED2m


People walk on a promenade overlooking the skyline in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. — Reuters/File
People walk on a promenade overlooking the skyline in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. — Reuters/File 

DUBAI: Dubai has announced the implementation of a new public safety law introducing stricter regulations for public spaces and events, with fines ranging from AED500 ($136) to AED1 million ($272,000), authorities said.

Under the legislation, repeat violations within one year could result in fines of up to AED2 million, officials added.

The new law, which takes effect across the emirate on June 1, sets out enhanced safety requirements for public venues and gatherings.

The rules were issued by Dubai’s Ruler, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Dubai introduces new public safety laws, fines up to AED2m

According to the regulations, public venues and events must ensure safe entry and exit routes, adequate lighting, and capacity limits to prevent overcrowding.

Event organisers will be required to provide firefighting equipment, emergency evacuation plans, first aid facilities, and trained security personnel.

Compliance with safety instructions at public venues has been made mandatory.

The law also requires adherence to designated swimming times at beaches and prohibits access to restricted areas.

Possession of explosives or fireworks without a permit is banned, as is the use and transport of hazardous or flammable materials.





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India let Iran warship dock the day US sank another off Sri Lanka, say officials

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India let Iran warship dock the day US sank another off Sri Lanka, say officials


The Iranian military ship IRIS Lavan is docked at a port in Kochi, India, March 7, 2026. — Reuters
The Iranian military ship IRIS Lavan is docked at a port in Kochi, India, March 7, 2026. — Reuters

India has allowed an Iranian warship to dock as a humanitarian gesture, Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Saturday, after the US sank another Iranian navy vessel off neighbouring Sri Lanka.

The Lavan docked at India’s southern port of Kochi on Wednesday, the same day the US submarine struck Iranian navy frigate Dena, after an urgent request from Tehran, an Indian government source told Reuters.

US President Donald Trump has said destroying the Iranian navy is one aim of the war he and Israel launched against the Islamic Republic a week ago.

The Lavan – an amphibious landing vessel, according to the US Naval Institute’s online news site – and two other ships “were coming in for a fleet review and then they got, in a way, caught on the wrong side of the events,” Jaishankar told the annual Raisina Dialogue event.

“I think we really approached it from the point of view of humanity, of other than whatever the legal issues were,” he said. “I think we did the right thing.”

At least 87 people were killed in the US attack on the Dena in Sri Lanka’s exclusive economic zone, 19 nautical miles off the coast, outside its maritime boundaries.

India received the docking request for the Lavan on February 28, the day the Iran war started, the source said late on Friday, adding that the request “was urgent as the vessel had developed technical issues”.

Its 183 crew members have been accommodated at naval facilities in Kochi, said the source, who asked not to be identified citing confidentiality.

The Dena was on its way back from a naval exercise organised by India, according to the drill’s website and Sri Lankan officials.

Sri Lankan authorities said on Friday that they were escorting the Iranian naval ship Booshehr to a harbour on the eastern coast and moving most of its crew to a navy camp near Colombo.





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Iran apologises to Gulf but strikes escalate, war surges across region

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Iran apologises to Gulf but strikes escalate, war surges across region


An explosion on Beiruts southern suburbs after an Israeli strike, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Lebanon, March 6, 2026.— Reuters/File
An explosion on Beirut’s southern suburbs after an Israeli strike, following an escalation between Hezbollah and Israel amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, Lebanon, March 6, 2026.— Reuters/File
  • Iran to suspend strikes on neighbours unless attacks from them.
  • Putin calls for immediate halt to Iran conflict.
  • Iran envoy says 1,332 Iranian civilians killed in war.

Israel and Iran traded attacks on Saturday as the war entered a second week, while the Islamic Republic made an unusual apology to neighbouring states for its “actions”, apparently seeking to calm regional anger at Iranian strikes on Gulf civilian targets.

“I personally apologise to neighbouring countries that were affected by Iran’s actions,” Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said, urging them not to join US-Israeli attacks on Iran.

He said Iran’s temporary leadership council had agreed to suspend attacks on nearby states unless strikes on Iran originated from their territory.

Hours later, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said their drones struck a US air combat centre at Al Dhafra Air Base, near Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates. Reuters could not independently verify that report.

Huge explosions were heard in several parts of the Iranian capital, state media reported.

Gulf states hit by drones and missiles

The US-Israeli war on Iran has already spilled beyond Iran’s borders, as Tehran has responded by hitting Israel and Gulf Arab states hosting US military installations and Israel has launched fresh attacks in Lebanon.

The UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia have all reported drone and missile attacks over the past week.

Gulf states voiced immediate outrage that their civilian infrastructure — hotels, ports and oil facilities — were struck despite their having had no part in the US-Israeli attacks.

How far Pezeshkian’s statement reflects a decision to back off by Iran, or if it should be read as a warning that Tehran remains ready to strike across the region, is not yet clear, with some strikes still reportedly directed at Gulf states on Saturday morning.

Iran had mended fences with its Gulf neighbours in recent years, including with former regional arch-rival Saudi Arabia — a diplomatic campaign that imploded as the Revolutionary Guards launched a blitz of drones and missiles over the past week.

No deal without surrender, says Trump

While Gulf states host US military bases, they had told Washington they would not allow these to be used for any attacks on Iran.

Iran’s apparent strategy of maximum chaos has driven up the costs of the conflict by raising energy prices, hurting global business and logistics links and shaking trust in the stability of a critical region for the world’s economy.

Pezeshkian’s remarks come as diplomatic prospects for an end to hostilities appear bleak, with US President Donald Trump demanding Tehran’s “unconditional surrender”.

“There will be no deal with Iran except UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER!” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Friday.

“After that, and the selection of a GREAT & ACCEPTABLE Leader(s), we, and many of our wonderful and very brave allies and partners, will work tirelessly to bring Iran back from the brink of destruction, making it economically bigger, better, and stronger than ever before,” he added.

The US-Israeli attacks have killed at least 1,332 Iranian civilians and wounded thousands, according to Iran’s UN ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani.

Iranian attacks have killed 11 people in Israel, and at least six US service members have been killed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences to Pezeshkian over the numerous civilian casualties resulting from “the armed Israeli-American aggression against Iran” and called for an immediate halt to hostilities, the Kremlin said.





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