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Summary Several arrests were seen, carried out by uniformed police or plain-clothes security officers.
A protest and scuffles with police occurred in central Tehran on Wednesday in the first sign of public unrest over Irans plunging currency, which this week has lost more than half of its value.Hundreds of police in anti-riot gear stormed the capitals currency exchange district of Ferdowsi, arresting illegal money changers and ordering licenced bureaux and other shops closed, witnesses told AFP.Several arrests were seen, carried out by uniformed police or plain-clothes security officers.Smoke was seen in two places in the area.Some appeared to come from a dumpster set on fire near the British embassy -- evacuated last year after pro-government demonstrators stormed it.The source of the other smoke could not be determined, with police directing pedestrians and vehicles away.Individuals threw stones at police officers and a police car before running away, witnesses said.A protest in Tehrans historic Grand Bazaar -- a maze-like complex of shops vital to the city -- also took place but was quickly put down by police.We closed because we dont know what is going to happen in terms of the currency market, one shopkeeper said.The crackdown on the money changing district was an apparent bid to halt a dramatic plunge in the value of Irans currency this week.On Tuesday, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Western sanctions were mostly to blame. But rivals said his mismanagement of the economy was the main cause.
