September 23, 2026 The economic crisis that created political anger has drained the time and energy needed to organize. By Maddie Ali, The Algemeiner US President Donald Trump’s renewed economic campaign against Iran is tightening an already severe squeeze on ordinary households. Expanded secondary sanctions and a blockade of Iranian oil exports have sharply reduced Tehran’s access to foreign currency, making imports more expensive and pushing the rial to record lows. The pressure is visible in smaller purchases, postponed medical treatment, and long queues for fuel. Iran raised its domestic gasoline prices for consumers earlier this month, a politically sensitive step in a country where a sudden fuel-price increase helped ignite nationwide protests in 2019. Iranians are worried that higher transport costs could spread to bread, meat, and other essentials. “Basic groceries are now out of our reach. With fuel prices rising, the situation is only getting worse,” a Tehran resident told The Algemeiner. The Algemeiner reported earlier this month that ordinary Iranians are largely blaming their own government for the country’s current financial crisis, seeing the regime as unable to manage the economy and prioritizing anti-Western ideology and support for terrorist groups over the needs of its people. Yet Iran has not seen another nationwide uprising on the scale of the anti-regime protests that erupted in January.The absence of mass demonstrations may appear surprising as living standards fall. However, it should not be mistaken for public satisfaction with the current situation. WATCH: Inside Iran's worsening economic situation In January, authorities responded to protests with an internet blackout, mass arrests, and lethal force. Thousands of protesters were killed by the security forces of the Islamist regime, with estimates far exceeding what the regime has admitted and reportedly skyrocketing into the tens of thousands.