Mr. Trump’s remarks that he was ready to come to the protesters’ “rescue” are a sharp escalation as protests over economic hardship turned deadly.

It was only a matter of time until such gloom gave rise to another round of mass protest. The only question was what would trigger it. It came from an unlikely corner on December 28th, when electronics vendors in Tehran went on strike.

U.S. President Donald Trump and top Iranian officials have exchanged dueling threats as widening economic protests sweep across parts of the Islamic Republic.

Despite being so far limited, this week’s protests mark the latest chapter in growing discontent in Iran, while a population quietly reclaims public spaces and personal freedoms through uncoordinated acts of defiance.

NPR's A Martinez speaks with Iranian-American author and journalist Hooman Majd about the current wave of protests facing Iran and what they mean for its future.

UN experts and 400 prominent women have urged Iran not to execute Zahra Tabari, a 67-year-old electrical engineer and women's rights activist. Ms Tabari was arrested in April and accused of collaborating with a banned opposition group, the People's Mujahideen Organisation of Iran (PMOI), according to her family.

Demonstrations sparked by Iran's struggling economy have spread into rural provinces, with at least seven people killed.

The protests erupted Sunday and gathered pace Monday after the Islamic Republic’s currency, the rial, hit a record low against the dollar. Many in Iran are already struggling with the cost of living, and rising prices have fueled concerns about potential hyperinflation.

Iranian leaders face pressure over a currency collapse and threats of possible military strikes from Israel and the United States over Tehran’s nuclear activities.

A British woman jailed in Iran for almost a year has spoken of the pain of separation from her family in a poignant Christmas message written in her cell. "At a time when we should be connected, we find ourselves alone, down, dejected," Lindsay Foreman wrote in a poem entitled A Sad Voice From Evin Prison - A Christmas Poem.