Protests are still erupting in Iran as more people decry the government's economic instability. Mona Yacoubian, the director and senior adviser of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, joins CBS News with more.

Tehran

Recent video footage from Iran depicts protesters tearing apart the national flag as anti-government demonstrations continue to intensify across the country. The protests, which began over economic grievances such as inflation and currency devaluation, have now expanded to all provinces and resulted in dozens of reported deaths, according to human rights groups.

International reactions include threats of intervention from U.S. President Trump, while Iran's leadership has responded with both force and limited financial incentives. The exiled crown prince, Reza Pahlavi, has called for a nationwide uprising, with observers noting the next several days as potentially pivotal for the movement's momentum.

Protesters rip Iranian flag as anti-government protests heat up

Welcome back. Take a look at this video from Iran. It shows protesters ripping the country's flag to pieces. There have been ongoing anti-government demonstrations across the country. Human rights groups say dozens of people have been killed and President Trump has threatened U.S. intervention if Iran's government continues its crackdown. More on this, I'm joined by Mona Yakoubian. She's the Director and Senior Advisor of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Good morning, Mona, and welcome. These demonstrations, which are just a week plus old, were initially driven by financial concerns. Many Americans can relate with that over inflation and the tanking of the rial, the currency there, but it seems to have evolved. Tell us more about what this is all about. Well, the protests have now spread to all of Iran's provinces, which I think is significant. And we're seeing, I think the next couple of days will be critical. Iran's exiled crown prince has called for a massive uprising. Now, whether people respond to that or not, we'll have to see, but it could constitute a tipping point in these protests. And how will Tehran be weighing its response to these demonstration? And talk to us about this person who is in exile. Well, I think as Iran comes under increasing pressure, you are seeing that the regime appears to be more and more at loose ends as to how to respond. You mentioned President Trump's threats. I think they're taking those very seriously. He has threatened both before the intervention in Venezuela to use force against the regime. He doubled down on that threat after the intervention, and that threat's been amplified by Republican leaders such as Senator Lindsey Graham. So I think these threats from the outside, combined with, again, the growing pressures and the spreading protests on the inside, have really thrown a curve ball to the Iranian regime. It doesn't appear to know exactly how to respond. We see them using threats of force, but we also see them attempting to curry favor by offering cash payments. I think it's something like $7 a month, which is really a drop in the bucket, to see if they can somehow dilute the growing public anger in the country. And you mentioned the exiled Prince Reza Pahlavi. Is he one of the key players in this? Tell us more about his influence, because even in images posted online and videos to social media, I see a lot of people commenting, mentioning him. Yes, his call. He is, of course, a Zion from the Shah's family. He is in exile. You know, how much resonance he has on the ground, I think, remains to be seen. But this call he has made for all Iranians to rise up, and he's specifically called on this to happen today and tomorrow, does appear to be spreading, at least on the internet. I think it remains to be seen how much does that call have resonance on the ground, in the streets across Iran. We're gonna need to watch, I think, very closely what happens in Iran over the next couple of days to see whether or not we are, in fact, watching a tipping point as these protests gain momentum. Wow, it's gonna be key to watch this closely over the next 48 hours. Mona Yakoubian, stay close. We may call on you once again. Thanks for joining us from Bethesda. Thank you.

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