Iranians protest over government price hikes

TEHRAN: Hundreds of people have taken to the streets in cities across Iran to protest the government’s decision to raise the prices of essential goods, state media reported on Friday.

Earlier this week, President Ebrahim Raisi announced a series of measures to tackle the country’s economic woes, including changing a subsidy system and increasing the prices of several staples including cooking oil, chicken and eggs. Iran’s economy has suffered under stringent sanctions reimposed by the United States after it unilaterally pulled out of a deal with world powers on Iran’s nuclear programme in 2018.