Iran's national currency has hit a fresh low, trading at 1.42 million rials per U.S. dollar in open market exchanges. The sharp depreciation marks another chapter in the country's ongoing currency crisis, triggering widespread street protests and intensifying public frustration over economic deterioration.

The rial's free fall reflects mounting pressures from international sanctions, capital flight, and structural economic challenges. As ordinary citizens watch their savings evaporate in real-time, the scale of the collapse has pushed ordinary Iranians to seek alternative stores of value—a scenario that typically accelerates interest in non-traditional assets during periods of monetary instability.

Mass demonstrations across major cities underscore the human toll of currency debasement, with protesters demanding government intervention and economic reform. This scenario echoes similar patterns seen in other high-inflation economies, where local populations increasingly turn to decentralized alternatives when faith in traditional financial systems erodes.