The recent unrest originated with merchants in Tehran's Grand Bazaar, a group that prioritizes stability. Their protests highlight the crisis's economic roots: inability to access hard currency for imports, rampant inflation, and collapsing consumer demand, making business untenable for even multi-million dollar traders.

The spike in 1970s oil prices was a direct reaction to the U.S. abandoning the gold standard. Oil-producing countries were no longer being paid in gold-backed dollars, so they raised prices from $3 to $40 per barrel to compensate for the currency's rapid loss of purchasing power.

Protests in Iran, if they disrupt the regime, could halt cheap oil flows to China. This would force China to buy from more expensive, US-friendly markets, strengthening the US dollar's global dominance and isolating anti-Western powers without direct US intervention.

The US response to the 2008 crisis—massive money printing—exported inflation globally. This led to sharp increases in food prices in places like the Arab world, creating economic hardship that became a key, though often overlooked, trigger for the widespread social and political upheaval of the Arab Spring.

Days before Iran's 1978 revolution, President Jimmy Carter lauded the Shah's leadership and Iran's "stability." This highlights a catastrophic failure of intelligence and a reliance on superficial state-level relationships over understanding ground-level dissent.

Even when facing severe international backlash, a US president's most controversial foreign policy actions are ultimately limited by unpopularity within their own country and party, which creates significant political and practical consequences that outweigh pressure from allies.

Despite his stated goal of lowering oil prices, President Trump's aggressive sanctions on Venezuela, Iran, and Russia have removed significant supply from the market. This creates logistical bottlenecks and "oil on water" buildups, effectively tightening the market and keeping prices higher than they would be otherwise.

The Shah was seen as a repressive autocrat, yet he was indecisive when confronted with mass protests, partly due to his illness. This politically toxic combination alienated the people through repression while emboldening them through weakness, creating the perfect conditions for his downfall.

Facing a national crisis over gas prices, President Carter diagnosed a "spiritual malaise" and denounced consumerism. Instead of offering concrete solutions, he lectured the American public on their moral failings. This approach was perceived as weird and out of touch, cementing his image as an ineffective leader.