With tensions in Iran escalating (again), I’m reminded of a little tribute I pieced together about 15 months ago that documented life in the Middle Eastern country before the Islamic Revolution ran roughshod in February 1979. You can have a look at it here.

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Imagine waking up to no running water in your home, lines for basic necessities stretching for hours (a common occurrence in non-capitalist countries), and your savings wiped out because the currency has lost half its value in a year. That’s the reality for millions in Iran right now.

Families can’t afford food (prices are up 72% from last year), young people study by candlelight due to power blackouts, and women risk arrest just for showing their hair in public, turning personal choices into acts of defiance against a government that prioritizes control over the well-being of its citizens.

In essence, the current situation in Iran is a reminder of how economic desperation and long-standing political oppression can ignite widespread resistance. Consequently this latest round of protests have spread to over 70 Iranian towns in the past week, drawing in shopkeepers, students, farmers, and everyday citizens who are marching against a tanking economy, severe water shortages, energy blackouts, and the ruling theocracy’s mismanagement — issues that have simmered for years but exploded amid record currency devaluation and inflation.

Iran has been ruled by a theocratic regime for nearly 47 years, wherein religious leaders hold ultimate power and enforce strict rules, such as mandatory hijabs for women. But dissatisfaction has boiled over before — in 2022, after a young woman named Mahsa Amini died in police custody for “improper” hijab wearing, millions protested for women’s rights and freedom.

Today’s protests started with shopkeepers striking over the rial hitting a record low (1.42 million to one US dollar), but they’ve grown to include demands for regime change because the government squanders resources on foreign conflicts while ignoring crises on the homefront: dams are nearly empty, aquifers are depleting, and land is literally sinking.

Demonstrators are facing tear gas, live bullets, and arrests. At least 10 have been killed since late December, including a 15-year-old, and hundreds detained. Yet they’re still out there, chanting “Death to the dictator” and waving pre-revolution flags symbolizing a return to secular rule.

Women are also leading by removing hijabs in public, risking everything for basic rights. This isn’t merely about religion — it’s about dignity, equality, and a functioning government that serves its people.

Godspeed.

Picture credit: Gonzalo Fuentes, Reuters