Since Thursday, protests throughout Iran have caught the world’s attention. The rallies started in protest of the current Islamic Republic, shouting things like “death to the dictator” and other anti-Iranian government slogans. Kurdish media groups have reported that many are critical of Iran’s involvement in Syria, chanting “leave Syria, think about us,” as well as “The people are begging. The clerics act like God.” The country hasn’t seen demonstrations of this size since 2009.

The nation’s economy has also suffered recently; the capital plans to raise oil prices by 50% next year, despite their oil-rich reserves. The Statistical Center of Iran reports 12.4% unemployment in 2016.

These protests carried on throughout December 28 and 29 relatively peacefully, with a few arrests and little violence — though property was damaged in some of the demonstrations. However, on 30 December, the Revolutionary Guards opened fire and killed at least two demonstrators. The Washington Post has also reported the use of water canons and cited the arrests of over 200 people in Tehran on Saturday. This has all drawn more attention and the international community is watching closely to see how Iran deals with these demonstrations.