Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian tasked the Interior Minister to engage in dialogue with protest representatives to hear legitimate demands as the government addresses currency volatility and economic pressures, Pezeshkian stated on December 29.

"People's livelihood is my daily concern. We have fundamental measures to reform the monetary and banking system and preserve people's purchasing power on the agenda," Pezeshkian wrote on social media platform X.

The president stated he instructed the Interior Minister to listen to the legitimate demands of protesters' representatives through dialogue "so that the government acts with full force to solve problems and respond responsibly".

The statement follows limited protest gatherings by Tehran shopkeepers over currency volatility as the US dollar exchange rate exceeded IRR140,000.

Groups of bazaar merchants and shopkeepers gathered in the Chaharso Passage and Lalezar Street areas of central Tehran over two days.

The rial currently trades at approximately IRR1.39mn per US dollar following Pezeshkian's appointment of Abdolnasser Hemmati as new Central Bank governor on December 29, replacing Mohammad Reza Farzin.

Economist Mohammad Sadeq al-Hosseini predicted the dollar will fall between IRR100,000 and IRR200,000 following Hemmati's appointment and implementation of NIMA currency management reforms alongside reduced preferential foreign exchange payments.

The government's economic team held coordination meetings at the Central Bank on December 29 to discuss foreign exchange, trade and livelihood policies following the presidential push.

Pezeshkian's directive for dialogue with protesters represents a conciliatory approach as the administration confronts mounting economic challenges including currency volatility, inflation concerns and parliamentary rejection of the 2026 budget bill on December 29.