Why the Iranians have returned to protest in the streets

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(CNN) --

The Iranian government mobilized tens of thousands of supporters Friday in a show of force after weeks of street protests over prices turned violent, leading to arrests and injuries across the country. Thousands of government supporters demonstrated outside Tehran, including 50,000 members of the Revolutionary Guards and Basij militia, according to state media.

The anti-government protests, reported in at least 40 cities and towns across Iran, began over economic issues but have turned political, with demonstrators chanting anti-government slogans and calling for the fall of the regime, social media videos posted by activists showed.

Here's what you need to know about Iran's latest protests:

When did the protests start and what triggered them?

In early May, protests broke out in some of Iran's poorest cities after the government cut food subsidies, causing prices of several flour-based staples to soar 300%.

The price of other basic products, such as cooking oil and dairy products, also soared.

The government said the move is aimed at redistributing subsidies to low-income people.

Iranians work at a food store in the capital Tehran on May 13 as prices of basic goods soar.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi earlier this month introduced changes to subsidies, aimed at reining in commodity prices, in a bid to ease the effect of rising world wheat prices and US sanctions on the economy. Iranian.

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Large crowds took to the streets in the southwestern province of Khuzestan to protest price hikes, and the protests later spread to other provinces.

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Most of the protesters are public sector workers, Zep Kalb, a visiting fellow at the Bourse & Bazaar Foundation think tank, told CNN.

But among the protesters there are also teachers and drivers.

The demonstrations are reminiscent of 2019, when many took to the streets over rising fuel prices, in protests that became the most violent since the founding of the Islamic Republic in 1979.

Does the war in Ukraine have something to do with these protests?

Iran's economy, crippled by Western sanctions and the covid-19 pandemic, was already struggling to get by.

The Ukraine war was a "double blow," Kalb said.

"In addition to higher bread prices, Russia's discounted oil and gas exports to China have also made it more difficult for Iran to sell hydrocarbons to its main trading partner," he said.

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Iran is one of the world's leading importers of wheat and relies on Russia and Ukraine for almost 40% of its supplies of the grain, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Since the United States sanctioned its oil in 2018, Iran has relied on Chinese buyers.

But its crude exports to China have fallen sharply since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Reuters reported, adding that Beijing has increasingly leaned toward discounted barrels from Russia as that country faces Western sanctions over its war in Ukraine. .

How has the government reacted to the protests?

The government acknowledged the protests but said they were small gatherings.

State media also described the protesters as "troublemakers and provocateurs" and said dozens were arrested.

Officials said domestic unrest over food prices was fueled by foreign "enemies" and the "rumors they spread and the lies they tell."

Some social media users inside Iran said internet services have been disrupted, but Iranian officials deny the claim.

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Are the protests likely to have a broader impact?

The protests will not necessarily topple the Iranian regime, but the lack of an adequate government response may allow discontent to simmer, Jason Razaian, the former Tehran bureau chief of the Washington Post, wrote in an op-ed.

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“At the same time, the regime has no remedy for the current set of grievances,” he wrote.

"Which means they will continue, becoming even more frequent as public desperation grows."

The protests also come as Iran attempts to revive a 2015 deal with world powers that curtailed Iran's nuclear capabilities in exchange for sanctions relief.

A worsening economic situation may increase the urgency for Iran to reach a deal, but so far the nation has stood by its demands.

“The Iranian government planned its annual budget with the expectation of higher oil revenues and potential sanctions relief,” Kalb said.

"As either of these now seems unlikely, I wouldn't be surprised to see unannounced austerity measures and decisions to cut social spending in the near future."

CNN's Mostafa Salem contributed to this report.

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