TEHRAN—The protests that have gripped Iran for three weeks started over a headscarf, but are morphing into a broader movement fueled by middle-class anger over the country’s collapsing economy.
Iran’s large urban middle class has mostly driven the demonstrations in dozens of cities since the death of Mahsa Amini on Sept. 16, a 22-year-old woman detained for allegedly violating the country’s strict dress code. Organized by word-of-mouth and amplified on social media, their complaints have quickly turned from women’s rights to demands for an end to the country’s Islamic system of governance, which controls all aspects of society.
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