India, Jan. 13 -- Iran once again stands at the epicentre of a geopolitical storm, navigating what may be its most perilous convergence of crises since the 1979 revolution. The Islamic Republic is no longer merely managing dissent - it faces a systemic uprising fuelled by economic suffocation and the erosion of its strategic deterrence. Unlike the reformist movement of 2009 or the civil liberties protests of 2022, the current wave of unrest, which began on December 28, 2025, is an existential outcry born of collapsing living standards under the strain of US led sanctions.

With inflation soaring to nearly 50% and food prices spiking, the rial has lost about half its value since early 2025. This hyperinflation has gutted the middle class, ...