Tehran’s Grand Bazaar: A centuries-old stage for Iran’s new protests
Shopkeepers at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar—historic engine of political change—helped spark and sustain this year’s protests against the regime, driven by economic distress from sanctions, a plunging rial and high inflation; despite security crackdowns and the bazaar’s waning political clout, merchants say the market remains a potent symbol that could still mobilize unrest.