◢ Iranians are hunkering down for the return of US sanctions on Monday with a run on gold and hard currency as they scramble to protect their savings, and sporadic protests over the already troubled economy. State news agencies reported "scattered protests" of a few hundred people on Thursday in the cities of Shiraz, Ahvaz, Mashhad and Karaj, which police had brought under control. Videos posted on social media—whose authenticity could not be verified—have shown days of demonstrations in Iran's third city Isfahan and minor protests in the capital on Thursday night.