How Iran's flagging economy inflamed its protests
February 17, 2026
8 min
Full
211 of 300
February 17, 2026
How Iran's flagging economy inflamed its protests
0:00 / 8:36
Excerpt playback isn’t available for this episode — use the full-episode link.
Search the Record
Moment search isn’t open for this episode yet
When it opens, you’ll be able to type any phrase and jump straight to the second it was said.
Nprs Planet Money Episodes Around February 17, 2026
Episode 211 of 300 — walk the feed in the order it was published.
8:36This episodeHow Iran's flagging economy inflamed its protests
Summary
<strong><em>Editor's note:</em></strong><em> The United States and Israel launched attacks on Iran early Saturday, Feb. 28. For current coverage click </em><a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/02/28/nx-s1-5730158/israel-iran-strikes-trump-us" target="_blank"><em>here</em></a><em>. For background context, the story below was published on Feb. 17, 2026.</em><br /><br />According to activists, Iran has killed over 7,000 people as part of a crackdown on protesters. Why did protests engulf Iran in the first place? A big contributor: Its flagging economy, which has been in a tailspin for years. It’s a tinderbox.<br /><br /><strong>Related episodes: </strong><br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/2026/02/06/nx-s1-5704815/iran-protests-us-sanctions" target="_blank">Iran, protests, and sanctions</a><br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/02/06/692155923/episode-892-the-lost-plane" target="_blank">The Lost Plane</a><br /><br /><em>For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at </em><a href="http://plus.npr.org/" target="_blank"><em>plus.npr.org</em></a><em>.</em> <em>Fact-checking by </em><a href="https://www.npr.org/people/1268825622/sierra-juarez" target="_blank"><em>Sierra Juarez</em></a><em>. Music by </em><a href="https://dropelectric.bandcamp.com/" target="_blank"><em>Drop Electric</em></a><em>. Find us: </em><a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@planetmoney" target="_blank"><em>TikTok</em></a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/planetmoney/" target="_blank"><em>Instagram</em></a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/planetmoney" target="_blank"><em>Facebook</em></a>, <a href="https://www.npr.org/newsletter/money" target="_blank"><em>Newsletter</em></a><em>.</em><br /><br />See <a href="https://pcm.adswizz.com">pcm.adswizz.com</a> for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.npr.org/about-npr/179878450/privacy-policy">NPR Privacy Policy</a>
Episode details and artwork are published by the show’s own feed. Sentinel plays short cited excerpts and links every episode back to its publisher.