Traders in Tehran have taken part in the biggest protests the Iranian capital has seen since 2012.

Rising prices and a fall in the value of Iran's currency, the rial, have prompted thousands to march. The 2012 protests, prompted by sanctions over the country's nuclear programme,</s>Iran's supreme leader has called on his judiciary to confront anti-government protesters after they staged the biggest strikes and street demonstrations in the capital Tehran in years.

State news agency Tasnim says Ayatollah Ali Khamenei met Wednesday with a group of judiciary officials in Tehran and told them that they should "confront those disrupting economic security."

Tehran workers angered by Iran's worsening economy have staged a series of strikes since Sunday, with the biggest strike shutting down the city's Grand Bazaar on Monday. Hundreds of bazaar workers and other protesters also marched on major Tehran streets Monday, while smaller street protests were observed Tuesday.

One video shared on social media showed riot police firing tear gas at Monday's marchers, while another video showed two wounded men apparently beaten by police Tuesday.

ISNA, another state news agency, posted a report Wednesday quoting Tehran's police chief Hussein Rahimi as saying police officers were maintaining a powerful presence at the Grand Bazaar. He said that presence would continue as long as necessary.

Tehran's chief prosecutor, Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi, told state media Tuesday that some of the protesters had been arrested and their leaders identified.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo denounced Iran's crackdown on the protests. In a Wednesday statement, he said Washington "condemns the government's same futile tactics of suppression, imprisonment of protestors, and the denial of Iranians' frustrations." In another part of the statement shared on Twitter, Pompeo said the Iranian people are "tired of the corruption, injustice, and incompetence from their leaders. The world hears their voice."

The heads of several Iranian merchant associations told state media that the situation at Tehran's Grand Bazaar was almost back to normal Wednesday, with a limited number of shops being closed. It was not clear if the closures represented a continuation of the anti-government strikes.

Iran Chamber of Guilds Secretary-General Ali Eyazzapour was quoted by Tasnim as saying some gold shops at the bazaar were closed due to what he called the "sensitivity" of their products. He did not elaborate.

ISNA quoted Association of Islamic Guilds Secretary-General Ahmad Karimi Esfahani as saying some bazaar stores were closed possibly due to merchants traveling or beginning their weekend early. Iran's weekend runs from Thursday to Friday, and there were no known public holidays Wednesday.

This report was produced in collaboration with VOA's Persian Service.</s>Traders in Tehran have taken part in the biggest protests the Iranian capital has seen since 2012.

Rising prices and a fall in the value of Iran's currency, the rial, have prompted thousands to march. The 2012 protests, prompted by sanctions over the country's nuclear programme,</s>Huge protests have erupted in Iran in response to the soaring cost of living and plummeting value of the rial, following Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the nuclear deal

Around Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, thousands marched towards the gates of parliament. Some traders shut up shop for the day voluntarily while and state media said others were forced to by angry protesters.

Many clashed with the police, and the protests – some of the biggest seen in Iran in years – were eventually dispersed by security forces using tear gas.

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State TV quoted Tehran’s deputy governor, Abdolazim Rezaie, as saying no arrests had been made.

Shops opened and business appeared to resume as normal on Tuesday.

On Monday night – once the protests had subsided – president Hassan Rouhani used a televised address to tell Iranians that the government would be able to withstand the sharp currency drop and the prospect of new US sanctions.

Shape Created with Sketch. Iran's 'Trumpism' contest Show all 10 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Iran's 'Trumpism' contest 1/10 AFP/Getty Images 2/10 AFP/Getty Images 3/10 AFP/Getty Images 4/10 AFP/Getty Images 5/10 AFP/Getty Images 6/10 AFP/Getty Images 7/10 AFP/Getty Images 8/10 AFP/Getty Images 9/10 AFP/Getty Images 10/10 AFP/Getty Images 1/10 AFP/Getty Images 2/10 AFP/Getty Images 3/10 AFP/Getty Images 4/10 AFP/Getty Images 5/10 AFP/Getty Images 6/10 AFP/Getty Images 7/10 AFP/Getty Images 8/10 AFP/Getty Images 9/10 AFP/Getty Images 10/10 AFP/Getty Images

“Even in the worst case, I promise that the basic needs of Iranians will be provided,” he said. “We have enough sugar, wheat, and cooking oil. We have enough foreign currency to inject into the market,” Mr Rouhani added, blaming the fall in the rial’s value on “foreign media propaganda”.

It is unlikely, however, that Iranians will be reassured by his promises.

In May, Mr Trump followed up on a campaign trail promise to withdraw from 2015’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, in which world powers obliged Iran to curb its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of crippling international sanctions.

Since America’s decision, the value of the Iranian rial has plummeted, driving up the cost of imports for many ordinary businesses and consumers.

It is also feared threatened new sanctions from Washington will cut into Iran’s hard currency earnings from oil exports.

Street demonstrations are common across Iran, but Monday’s impromptu protests were the biggest since 2012.

The popular discontent then eventually led to the election of a new, more moderate government and Iranian willingness to engage in the talks that led to the nuclear deal.

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There were also anti-government protests across the country in December 2017 and January 2018, but they did not reach Tehran.

Before Mr Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal there were 65,000 rials to the dollar, on Iran’s unofficial currency exchange market, compared to around 90,000 on Monday.

Shape Created with Sketch. Iran protests – in pictures Show all 11 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Iran protests – in pictures 1/11 University students at an anti-government protest inside Tehran University, 30 December 2017 AP 2/11 A university student at a protest inside Tehran University while a smoke grenade is thrown by anti-riot Iranian police, 30 December 2017 AP 3/11 University students at a protest inside Tehran University, 30 December 2017 AP 4/11 University students run away from the police during an anti-government protest inside Tehran University, 30 December 2017 AP 5/11 An image grab taken from a handout video released by Iran's Mehr News agency reportedly shows a group of men pulling at a fence in a street in Tehran, 30 December 2017 AFP/Getty 6/11 Demonstrators gather to protest in Tehran, 30 December 2017 AP 7/11 Iranians chant slogans as they march in support of the government near the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran, 30 December 2017 AFP/Getty 8/11 Iranians chant slogans as they march in support of the government near the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran, December 30 2017 9/11 Iranian clerics take part during a state-organized rally against anti-government protests in the country, in the holy city of Qom, south west Iran, 3 January 2018 EPA 10/11 In this photo provided by the Iranian Students' News Agency, a clergyman takes a picture of a pro-government demonstration in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, Iran, 3 January 2018 ISNA via AP 11/11 Pro-government demonstrators gather at the Massoumeh shrine in Iran's holy city of Qom, some 130 kilometres south of Tehran, 3 January 2018 AFP/Getty 1/11 University students at an anti-government protest inside Tehran University, 30 December 2017 AP 2/11 A university student at a protest inside Tehran University while a smoke grenade is thrown by anti-riot Iranian police, 30 December 2017 AP 3/11 University students at a protest inside Tehran University, 30 December 2017 AP 4/11 University students run away from the police during an anti-government protest inside Tehran University, 30 December 2017 AP 5/11 An image grab taken from a handout video released by Iran's Mehr News agency reportedly shows a group of men pulling at a fence in a street in Tehran, 30 December 2017 AFP/Getty 6/11 Demonstrators gather to protest in Tehran, 30 December 2017 AP 7/11 Iranians chant slogans as they march in support of the government near the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran, 30 December 2017 AFP/Getty 8/11 Iranians chant slogans as they march in support of the government near the Imam Khomeini grand mosque in Tehran, December 30 2017 9/11 Iranian clerics take part during a state-organized rally against anti-government protests in the country, in the holy city of Qom, south west Iran, 3 January 2018 EPA 10/11 In this photo provided by the Iranian Students' News Agency, a clergyman takes a picture of a pro-government demonstration in the southwestern city of Ahvaz, Iran, 3 January 2018 ISNA via AP 11/11 Pro-government demonstrators gather at the Massoumeh shrine in Iran's holy city of Qom, some 130 kilometres south of Tehran, 3 January 2018 AFP/Getty

Critics point out the Iranian authorities’ recent attempt to shore up the rial’s value by banning black market exchange rate has failed as panicking Iranians seek to move their savings into a more stable currency.

The industries and trade ministry also announced that the import of 13,000 products will be banned, and manufactured in Iran instead, to stave off the effect of fresh sanctions.

Mr Rouhani said his country would not give in to US pressure, calling the sanctions which come into effect in August and November part of a “psychological, economic and political war”.

“Withdrawal was the worst decision [Mr Trump] could make. It was appalling. It hurt America's global reputation,” he said.</s>What makes you fearful? Snakes? High places? Open water? Live in the D's Tati Amare visited the Detroit RiverWalk to find out your biggest phobia on this week's "Talkin' with Tati."

The people she talked to said their fears were wide-ranging, everything from closed spaces to losing their children. Some said they feared dying in a car crash and many were afraid of a variety of animals. Let us know what your biggest phobia is!
The protests become the biggest in Tehran since 2012.