Iranian students in Australia facing 'darkest days' as economy hits record low
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Exclusive: Ongoing turmoil in Iran has had a ripple effect on Iranian students in Australia, with some unable to pay for basic living expenses and tuition fees due to the economic crash in the nation.
The latest protests in Iran erupted in late December following civil unrest against the Islamic Republic government and the economic crisis.

The Iranian rial has nosedived to unprecedented lows, triggering a wave of uprisings that have swiftly engulfed the nation.

The value of the Iranian rial plummeted to a record-low amid the collapse. (Getty)

Prior to these upheavals, the exchange rate hovered around 28,000 rials to the US dollar.

Currently, that same dollar fetches more than 720,000 rials.

This financial turmoil has deeply impacted Iranian students abroad, such as Fatemah*, a business student residing in Australia.

“I’m constantly anxious about how to manage financially and sustain myself,” she shared with 9news.com.au.

“Here in Australia, sometimes the tuition fees and other things like rent increase, and it makes some problems for me.

“Even very basic things, for example, shopping for groceries, I must check everything.”
Protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire in Iran last week.
Protesters dancing and cheering around a bonfire. (AP)
Fatemah came to Australia in 2022 to study IT and graduated with a Master of Business Information Systems.

She has had to pick up several jobs to stay afloat due to the collapsing Iranian economy.

When Fatemah arrived in Australia, she was unable to convert all of her money to Australian currency due to international sanctions on Iranian banks, an issue many people from the nation are facing.

“I just want to have enough money to survive,” she said.

“My family told me to just focus on (my) studies and to find a job related to my knowledge and expertise.

“But now it doesn’t matter to me. I work in restaurants.

“I just want to cover my (expenses).”

Fatemah said her family in Iran are also experiencing the effects of the economic crash and deadly protests.

”I’m worried about their safety,” she said.

Zahra*, an Iranian student studying in Melbourne, told 9news.com.au that her family has been deeply affected by the uprising.

“I’m worried sick about my family and my friends, who I haven’t heard from for a long time now, because there’s a blackout in Iran,” she said.

“My sister could call me several times in the past few days.

“I could hear her voice, but what I heard wasn’t actually assuring because I could see that she was so terrified.”

Zahra, who was in Iran during several protests, including the Women, Life, Freedom revolution of 2022, said the nation was battling a regime that will not give up power.

“They get more aggressive because they want to remain in power,” she said.

“So every single time (there is) a big protest, they get more aggressive. They got more violent.

“I came (to Australia) to maintain my mental health because I couldn’t tolerate the environment there anymore.

“They shot at me when I was at home through the window because I was shouting, ‘stop it’, ‘stop it’.

“They use the real army facilities against their own people. I was traumatised by the things that I experienced.

“It kind of felt like if I stay, I’m gonna get killed.”

People gather during protest on January 8, 2026 in Tehran, Iran. Demonstrations have been ongoing since December, triggered by soaring inflation and the collapse of the rial, and have expanded into broader demands for political change.
People gather during protest in January in Tehran. (Getty)
Zahra left the country in 2023, selling her apartment and car to start a new life for herself in Australia.

However, when she arrived, she was also unable to bring all her money due to the sanctions in the nation.

“I couldn’t transfer all my money at once, but I brought some,” she said.

“When the economy started collapsing, it was hard for me to convert the money.

“I started working here because I couldn’t pay for living costs anymore based on my savings.”

Protesters participate in a demonstration in support of the nationwide mass protests in Iran against the government, in Berlin, Germany.
Protests against the Iranian government have taken place globally. (AP)

Zahra put a large portion of her money into paying off her student loan, and when the economy collapsed was left financially stranded, having to ask her father in Iran to lend her money.

She believes that universities should consider postponing tuition fees of affected students due to the financial hardships the economic crash has caused.

“Don’t put more pressure on the students,” she said.

“(We) are already in a very, very bad situation. We are in the darkest days of our lives.

“Don’t put more pressure on us, understand us.”

The demonstrations have quickly become the largest uprising in the nation since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, claiming the lives of at least 3766 people, with a high probability of a significantly higher death count.

The Human Rights Activists News Agency also reported that 24,348 protesters were arrested in the crackdown.

*Names have been changed to protect identities.

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