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> DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The Latest on developments in Iran (all times local):

Videos posted on social media appear to show Iranian demonstrators confronting police officers in front of Iran's parliament in Tehran.

The footage on Monday shows tear gas in the air and protesters screaming, "They attacked us with tear gas!" Another man is heard shouting: "Come back!"

The protest came after demonstrators in the Iranian capital swarmed its historic Grand Bazaar earlier in the day and forced shopkeepers to close their stalls in apparent anger over the Islamic Republic's troubled economy.

At the end of last year, similar economic protests roiled Iran and spread to some 75 cities and towns, becoming the largest demonstrations in the country since its 2009 disputed presidential election. The protests in late December and early January saw at least 25 people killed and nearly 5,000 people arrested by authorities.

A semi-official news agency in Iran is reporting that protesters have swarmed Tehran's Grand Bazaar amid nationwide anger over the country's troubled economy.

The ISNA news agency said the protesters were forcing shopkeepers to close their stalls at the market on Monday.

Videos posted to social media showed protesters heckling those who refused to close, shouting in Farsi: "Coward!"

The Iranian rial has dropped to 90,000 to $1 on the country's black market, despite government attempts to control the currency rate.

The economic trouble also comes as international firms have pulled away from Iran after President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw America from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. </s> Protesters in the Iranian capital reportedly swarmed its historic Grand Bazaar on Monday and forced shopkeepers to close their stalls, apparently angry over the Islamic Republic’s troubled economy.

It wasn’t immediately clear who was leading the protests. Iran‘s semi-official ISNA news agency described the protests as erupting after the Iranian rial dropped to 90,000 to the dollar on the country’s black market, despite government attempts to control the currency rate.

Videos posted to social media showed protesters at the bazaar heckling shopkeepers who refused to close, shouting in Farsi: “Coward!”

Iran’s latest economic troubles come against the backdrop of international firms pulling away from the country after President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.

At the end of last year, similar economic protests roiled Iran and spread to some 75 cities and towns, becoming the largest demonstrations in the country since its 2009 disputed presidential election. The protests in late December and early January saw at least 25 people killed and nearly 5,000 people arrested by authorities. </s> TEHRAN, Iran — Protesters in the Iranian capital swarmed its historic Grand Bazaar on Monday, news agencies reported, and forced shopkeepers to close their stalls in apparent anger over the Islamic Republic’s troubled economy, months after similar demonstrations rocked the country.

The unplanned demonstration came a day after protests forced two major shopping centres for mobile phones and electronics to close in Tehran. It also signalled widespread unease beneath the surface in Iran in the wake of President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.

It wasn’t immediately clear who led the protests. Iran’s semi-official news agencies Fars, ISNA and Tasnim described the protests as erupting after the Iranian rial dropped to 90,000 to the dollar on the country’s black market, despite government attempts to control the currency rate.

Videos posted to social media showed protesters at the bazaar heckling shopkeepers who refused to close, shouting in Farsi: “Coward!”

The head of Iran’s Chamber of Guilds, Ali Fazeli, later was quoted by Tasnim as saying the situation at the bazaar is calm.

“Their demands are delivered through the chamber to the government, and these are being pursued by us,” he said.

Tehran’s sprawling Grand Bazaar has long been a centre of conservatism in Iranian politics and remains an economic force within the country — despite the construction of massive malls around the city. Bazaar families opposed the Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and supported the 1979 Islamic Revolution that saw him replaced by the Shiite theocracy and elected officials.

At the end of last year, similar economic protests roiled Iran and spread to some 75 cities and towns, becoming the largest demonstrations in the country since its 2009 disputed presidential election. The protests in late December and early January saw at least 25 people killed and nearly 5,000 people arrested by authorities.

However, those protests largely struck Iran’s provinces as opposed to Tehran itself. Analysts believe hard-liners likely encouraged the first protest that took place in Mashhad to weaken the administration of President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate cleric within Iran’s politics. The protests then spiraled out of control, with people openly criticizing both Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Rouhani’s government has struggled with the economic problems, which have seen high unemployment. A government-set exchange rate of 42,000 rials to $1 has quickly been surpassed in the black market. On Monday, state television quoted Iranian Central Bank chief Valiollah Seif as saying the government plans to create a parallel market next week to combat the black market.

Meanwhile, some hard-liners have called for new elections or for Rouhani’s civilian government to be replaced by a military-led one. The Fars news agency, believed to be close to Iran’s hard-line paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, made a point Monday to publish an article from the Sobh-e No daily newspaper describing the government as being ready to “bow down to foreign threats and sit at the negotiation table.”

Associated Press writer Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, contributed to this report. </s> (Iranian Labor News Agency via AP). A group of protesters chant slogans at the old grand bazaar in Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 25, 2018. Protesters in the Iranian capital swarmed its historic Grand Bazaar on Monday, news agencies reported, and forced sh...

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) - Angry protesters in Iran's capital held a third day of demonstrations on Tuesday over the country's anemic economy as President Hassan Rouhani told the nation that it faces an "economic war" with the United States following America's pullout from the nuclear deal.

While online videos showed demonstrators again confronting police on Tehran's streets and alleyways, the protests looked far smaller than those on Monday, when security forces fired tear gas on crowds in front of parliament.

Earlier on Monday, demonstrators forced the temporary closure of Tehran's Grand Bazaar and on Sunday, protests forced two major shopping centers for mobile phones and electronics to close in Tehran.

Rage persists over the plunging of the Iranian rial to 90,000 to the dollar - double the government rate of 42,000 rials to $1 - as people watch their savings dwindle and shopkeepers hold onto some goods, uncertain of their true value.

Part of the economic uncertainty comes from President Donald Trump's decision to pull America out of the nuclear deal and re-impose sanctions on Iran, even though other world powers have pledged to stand by the accord.

Similar economic protests roiled Iran and spread to some 75 cities and towns at the end of last year, becoming the largest demonstrations in the country since the months-long rallies following the 2009 disputed presidential election. The protests in late December and early January saw at least 25 people killed and nearly 5,000 arrested, but took place largely in Iran's provinces rather than in the capital, Tehran.

These latest protests have hit Iranian commercial areas, including the sprawling, historic warrens of Tehran's Grand Bazaar, the home of conservative merchants who backed the country's 1979 Islamic Revolution and overthrow of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. It remains unclear who is leading these protests, though analysts say hard-liners wanting to challenge Rouhani likely sparked the demonstrations at the end of last year.

On Tuesday, witnesses described a noticeable presence of riot police on the capital's streets. Official reports and comments also were slim in Iran's state-controlled media, though Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said the "main provocateurs" of Monday's protests were arrested. He did not elaborate on the number of people detained.

The state-run IRNA news agency euphemistically referred to one incident Tuesday in which the city's metro line was temporarily shut down near the Grand Bazaar, saying it happened "because of some people gathered there."

On Tuesday morning, Rouhani addressed a meeting of judges that included the head of the country's judiciary and parliament. While a relative moderate within Iran's theocratic government, Rouhani struck a hard line himself against America.

"We are fighting against the United States, it wants to make an economic war," the president said. "The U.S. cannot defeat our nation; our enemies are not able to force us to their knees."

That's a far cry from the optimism shared by Rouhani and other Iranians when the 2015 nuclear deal was enacted between Iran and six world powers, including America. Iran agreed to limit its enrichment of uranium in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.

But that deal came under Barack Obama's administration. Trump, who campaigned on a promise of tearing up the deal, pulled America out of the deal in May. The ensuing turmoil has seen international firms and oil companies back away from their own billion-dollar deals with Iran.

Rouhani's own power within Iran's government appears to be waning, with some openly calling for military officials to lead the country.

Iran also has suggested it could immediately ramp up its production of uranium in response to the U.S. pullout, potentially escalating the very situation the nuclear deal sought to avoid - having an Iran with a stockpile of highly enriched uranium that it could use to build atomic bombs.

Tehran has long denied wanting to build nuclear weapons, despite fears from the West and the United Nations.

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani, speaking at the same event as Rouhani, appeared to directly criticize his administration.

"The government hasn't done enough to confront the economic problems," the conservative politician said, according to the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. </s> Protesters in the Iranian capital swarmed its historic Grand Bazaar on Monday, news agencies reported, and forced shopkeepers to close their stalls in apparent anger over the Islamic Republic's troubled economy, months after similar demonstrations rocked the country.

The unplanned demonstration came a day after protests forced two major shopping centers for mobile phones and electronics to close in Tehran. It also signaled widespread unease beneath the surface in Iran in the wake of President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the United States from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers.

It wasn't immediately clear who led the protests. Iran's semi-official news agencies Fars, ISNA and Tasnim described the protests as erupting after the Iranian rial dropped to 90,000 to the dollar on the country's black market, despite government attempts to control the currency rate.

Videos posted to social media showed protesters at the bazaar heckling shopkeepers who refused to close, shouting in Farsi: "Coward!"

The head of Iran's Chamber of Guilds, Ali Fazeli, later was quoted by Tasnim as saying the situation at the bazaar is calm.

"Their demands are delivered through the chamber to the government, and these are being pursued by us," he said.

Tehran's sprawling Grand Bazaar has long been a center of conservatism in Iranian politics and remains an economic force within the country — despite the construction of massive malls around the city. Bazaar families opposed the Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and supported the 1979 Islamic Revolution that saw him replaced by the Shiite theocracy and elected officials.

At the end of last year, similar economic protests roiled Iran and spread to some 75 cities and towns, becoming the largest demonstrations in the country since its 2009 disputed presidential election. The protests in late December and early January saw at least 25 people killed and nearly 5,000 people arrested by authorities.

However, those protests largely struck Iran's provinces as opposed to Tehran itself. Analysts believe hard-liners likely encouraged the first protest that took place in Mashhad to weaken the administration of President Hassan Rouhani, a relative moderate cleric within Iran's politics. The protests then spiraled out of control, with people openly criticizing both Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Rouhani's government has struggled with the economic problems, which have seen high unemployment. A government-set exchange rate of 42,000 rials to $1 has quickly been surpassed in the black market. On Monday, state television quoted Iranian Central Bank chief Valiollah Seif as saying the government plans to create a parallel market next week to combat the black market.

Meanwhile, some hard-liners have called for new elections or for Rouhani's civilian government to be replaced by a military-led one. The Fars news agency, believed to be close to Iran's hard-line paramilitary Revolutionary Guard, made a point Monday to publish an article from the Sobh-e No daily newspaper describing the government as being ready to "bow down to foreign threats and sit at the negotiation table." </s> At least 12 people have now died since protests began on Thursday. Iranian state television said this morning: “In the events of last night, unfortunately a total of about 10 people were killed in several cities.” Up to 400 people have been arrested as police cracked down on protesters, including 200 in capital city Tehran. Protests continued overnight despite an intervention from President Hassan Rouhani, who acknowledged the dissidents’ grievances but defended his record.

He said citizens are "completely free to express their criticism of the government or stage protests in a way that will lead to the improvement of the country’s conditions", while warning protesters against committing violent acts. Overnight, police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters in central Tehran. Demonstrations were also reported in Kermanshah and Khorramabad in the west of Iran, Shahinshahr in the north west, and Zanjan in the north of the country. President Rouhani is expected to attend an emergency meeting of the Iranian parliament planned for New Year’s Day, as protests continue.

The demonstrations are the biggest show of dissent in Iran since the mass protests of the Green Movement were brutally suppressed in 2009. Then, at least 30 people were killed and thousands arrested during a wave of protests against the disputed reelection of president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Today, demonstrators say they are angry about corruption and economic hardship. Frustrations have grown as the country is deeply involved in proxy wars in Syria, Iraq and Yemen in a battle for soft power with rival Saudi Arabia.

Foreign interventions have sparked fury in the country as citizens want their leader to focus on domestic issues rather than squaring up to the Saudis. Although Iran is a major oil producer and a key centre of power in the Middle East, youth unemployment reached 28.8 percent last year. As protests continue, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps has warned anti-government demonstrators they will face an “iron fist” if the unrest is not halted. While president Rouhani said the government would show "no tolerance for those who damage public properties, violate public order and create unrest in society”. </s> Ten people have been killed overnight in anti-government protests sweeping Iran, according to state TV.

“In the events of last night, unfortunately a total of about 10 people were killed in several cities,” it said. At least 12 people have now died since protests began on Thursday.

The unrest continued despite a call for calm from President Hassan Rouhani.

In his first intervention, President Rouhani warned on Sunday that violence would not be tolerated.

Mr Rouhani acknowledged grievances over Iran’s economic situation, a lack of transparency and corruption, but defended his record.

The Iranian president said that citizens were “completely free to express their criticism of the government or stage protests… in a way that would lead to the improvement of the country’s conditions” but warned against violent acts.

Nevertheless, protests continued overnight. Police used tear gas and water cannon to quell a rally in Tehran’s Engheleb Square and demonstrations were reported in Kermanshah and Khorramabad in the west, Shahinshahr in the north west and the northern city of Zanjan.

The demonstrations, which erupted on Thursday in Iran’s second city of Mashhad, are the biggest show of dissent seen since the huge rallies of the Green Movement were brutally suppressed in 2009.

Mass demonstrations – referred to as the Green Movement – were held by millions of opposition supporters against the disputed election victory of incumbent president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

At least 30 people were killed and thousands arrested in the wave of protests, which drew the largest crowds in Iran since the Islamic Revolution in 1979. </s> Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said Tuesday his country is in a "fight" with the U.S., a day after protesters angered by Iran's tanking economy confronted police in front of parliament.

In a televised speech, Rouhani blamed the U.S. for Iran's woes and said the U.S. is trying to damage the country by creating "an economic war."

"The U.S. cannot defeat our nation, our enemies are not able to get us to their knees," he said.

Rouhani's comments came after protesters angered by Iran's tanking economy confronted police in front of parliament Monday. It was the first such confrontation since similar demonstrations rocked the country at the start of the year.

The demonstration signaled widespread unease in the wake of President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw the U.S. from Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers and restore sanctions on the country.

It wasn't immediately clear who led Monday's protests. Iran's semi-official news agencies, Fars, ISNA and Tasnim, described the protests at the Grand Bazaar as erupting after the Iranian rial dropped to 90,000 to the dollar on the country's black market, despite government attempts to control the currency rate.

Videos posted to social media showed protesters at the bazaar heckling shopkeepers who refused to close.

A short time later, about 2 kilometers (1.25 miles) from the Grand Bazaar, videos shared by Iranians on social media appeared to show a crowd confronting police at parliament.

Iran's semi-official ISNA news agency reported Tuesday that authorities detained many of the rioters.

Prosecutor Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi said the "main provocateurs" who planned the protest and threatened shopkeepers to close their stores were arrested. He did not elaborate on the number of people detained.

Still, semi-official ISNA news agency reported the country's parliament speaker, Ali Larijani, said Tuesday that the Rouhani administration hasn't done enough to confront the economic problems.

At the end of last year, similar economic protests roiled Iran and spread to some 75 cities and towns, becoming the largest demonstrations in the country since its 2009 disputed presidential election. The protests in late December and early January saw at least 25 people killed and nearly 5,000 arrested.

Iran has announced a list of 15 demands for improving relations with the United States, including a U.S. return to the 2015 nuclear accord, in response to a similar list of demands made by Washington last month.

In May, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called for a wholesale change in Iran's military and regional policies, threatening the "strongest sanctions in history" if it refused. The U.S. withdrew from the landmark nuclear agreement with world powers earlier that month.
The protests become the biggest in Tehran since 2012.