Thousands of Iranians vented anger in protests in Iran’s second largest city, Mashhad, chanting slogans critical of the government’s decision to rise food prices.
The protesters who denounced President Hassan Rouhani raised banners saying “Not Gaza, not Lebanon, my life for Iran” in a rant against Iran’s spending on regional influence to the detriment of improving the living conditions of the locals in Iran.
Demonstrators also chanted ”leave Syria, think about us”, criticizing Iran’s deployment of troops to support President Bashar al-Assad against the uprising that broke out in 2011.
Many Iranians believe their economic situation has not improved due to corruption and mismanagement.
Unemployment stood at 12.4 percent in this fiscal year, according to the Statistical Centre of Iran, up 1.4 percent from the previous year. About 3.2 million Iranians are jobless, out of a total population of 80 million.
