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A worsening economic catastrophe has sparked widespread public unrest across Iran, driving diverse segments of society into the streets to demonstrate against soaring living costs and unpaid wages despite the looming threat of severe state retaliation. Over the past several months, retirees, healthcare staff, industrial laborers, educators, and university students have mobilized in a series of rallies and sit-ins, declaring that day-to-day survival has become virtually impossible under current conditions.
The demonstrations reflect a deepening sense of desperation among citizens who are confronting rapid hyperinflation, months of wage arrears, and climbing joblessness. Although participating in public demonstrations carries extreme personal danger, public frustration has reached a boiling point across multiple provinces, cutting across various professional sectors.
Educators have been among the most vocal groups demanding relief. In Tehran, school teachers gathered on September 9 to call for immediate salary adjustments to offset the catastrophic erosion of their purchasing power. Protesters emphasized that existing wages are no longer sufficient to cover basic necessities as the cost of living escalates on a daily basis.
Higher education faculty members are also preparing for coordinated labor action. On September 9, Iran’s syndicate of university professors published an open letter warning the administration that instructors will refuse to conduct classes for the upcoming academic term, scheduled to begin on September 23, unless authorities deliver on previous economic commitments and raise academic compensation.
Healthcare professionals have staged parallel demonstrations in several urban centers after going months without receiving their paychecks. In the northeastern city of Neyshabur, nurses took to the streets in August to demand the settlement of their back wages. Similar grievances boiled over in Kermanshah, where nursing staff conducted a sit-in on September 8, expressing anger over government neglect and the heavy deployment of security forces sent to suppress their peaceful gathering.
Elderly citizens and pensioners have likewise voiced outrage over collapsing living standards and the broader geopolitical crisis. During an August protest in the southwestern town of Shush, retired workers gathered to register their discontent, chanting slogans demanding a viable standard of living and rejecting the ongoing military hostilities that have devastated the country’s economy.
The wave of social unrest continues to unfold beneath the shadow of aggressive state repression. Iranian judicial authorities consistently issue harsh penalties against demonstrators, including capital punishment, while security services regularly detain journalists, cultural figures, civil society activists, and sports personalities for voicing dissent or failing to adhere to strict Sharia-based regulations on digital platforms.
Data compiled by the Norway-based Iran Human Rights Group underscores the scale of the ongoing clampdown. According to the organization, the Iranian authorities have executed at least 54 political prisoners over an eight-month span, a figure that includes 31 individuals condemned for their involvement in nationwide anti-government demonstrations that took place in January.
The severe economic downturn has been heavily accelerated by external conflict and maritime restrictions. The outbreak of the war involving the United States and Israel on February 28 dealt a massive blow to an economy already crippled by decades of international sanctions, domestic mismanagement, and systemic corruption.
Financial pressures intensified further after the Trump administration instituted a naval blockade in the Persian Gulf on April 13. The naval cordon has severely restricted operations at Iran’s principal maritime trade hubs, crippling the nation's capacity to import essential commercial goods and drastically curtailing crude oil exports, which serve as the primary source of revenue for the national budget.
The devastating impact of these measures was acknowledged at the highest level of government. In an address on August 29, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian confirmed that the naval blockade had effectively wiped out 35 percent of the country’s total import and export volume, acknowledging the profound damage inflicted on national commerce.
On the ground, small business owners describe an economy undergoing complete structural collapse. A business owner identified as Sirvan, who formerly directed a small startup enterprise, explained that he was forced to dismiss his entire 12-person staff and continue operations entirely alone as operating costs spiraled out of control.
According to Sirvan, product costs now fluctuate hourly rather than on a monthly or weekly basis. In one instance, an industrial replacement unit needed by a customer jumped from 180 million toman (roughly €660) in the morning to 220 million toman (€814) by midday, causing the client to cancel the purchase entirely and opt to rely on broken equipment instead.
Retail merchants across the country face identical operational hurdles due to instantaneous price swings. A consumer electronics vendor documented how wholesale pricing for a single mobile device increased from 70.8 million toman (€262) to 76.5 million toman (€283) over the span of just six hours, completely eliminating profit margins on transactions finalized only minutes earlier.
Business proprietors report that routine trade has been rendered unviable because inventory cannot be replenished at the prices for which items were originally sold. With basic commercial functions breaking down and household savings evaporating rapidly, the intersection of military conflict, trade embargoes, and domestic inflation continues to fuel growing civil defiance across Iran.
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