Twitter Users’ Hot Response to Currency Price Drop in Iran’s Market
The decline in dollar prices that began yesterday evening has driven large numbers of people to currency exchange offices in various cities to sell their home-held dollars. Iranian media outlets report massive gatherings for selling dollars on the streets, but some say that in addition to the fluctuating dollar prices, many currency exchangers are also unwilling to buy.
Far from the streets, the dollar debate is also heating up among Twitter users. Tweets on one side show joy over the falling dollar and the resulting price decreases in the market, while on the other side there are criticisms from users about the rush of people trying to sell their dollars.
Alongside these views, a cold war has also erupted among reformist, opposition, and principlist Twitter users, who more than ever are accusing each other of supporting the government or betraying the people.
Mehdi Amirpour, describing the dollar-selling market and dealers’ refusal to buy, criticizes protesting people who complain about hoarders but are “themselves among the biggest hoarders.”
کاهش قیمت #دلار؛ هجوم مردمی که دلارهای خانگی را به بازار آوردهاند تا بفروشند و صرافهای که دلار را نمیخرند چون می دانند ارزان تر هم خواهد شد. جنگ خرید دلار به رقابت برای فروش تبدیل شده.
نمایش رقتبارِ طمعِ مردمی که به احتکارگران اعتراض دارند اما خود از احتکارگرترینها هستند
— مهدی امیرپور (@AmirpoorMehdi) October 1, 2018
However, these tweets, which are mostly critical of the current currency market conditions and the rush of people to sell their dollars, are not limited to a specific group. Najafi Tehrani, a cleric user on Twitter, has also spoken about government deception in raising and lowering dollar prices and people who deal with the deceiver:
آن زمان که نباید #دلار میخریدند خریدند، حالا که نباید بفروشند میفروشند، این یعنی تا زمانیکه مردم در زمین نظام بازی میکنند و بخاطر چند میلیون تومان سود کوتاه مدت با حکومتی که میدانند فریبکار است معامله میکنند سرنوشتی بهتر از فرو رفتن هر چه بیشتر در باتلاق در انتظارشان نخواهد بود.
— نجفی تهرانی (@najafi_tehrani) October 2, 2018
A user named Churchill also wrote about the presence of people in dollar-selling queues:
مردم در صفوف فروش #دلار
سخته برام گفتنش اما خوشحالم دارید ضرر میکنید
امثال شما با خود خواهیتون حاضرید مملکت رو نابود کنید pic.twitter.com/ChRb7LveWM— چرچیل (@MrChurchiill) October 1, 2018
