Iran’s regime has once again targeted the people with a deceptive policy designed to plunder what little remains in their pockets. On Tuesday, November 25, the cabinet of regime president Masoud Pezeshkian approved a new scheme that effectively raises the price of gasoline to 50,000 rials (5,000 tomans) per liter for a large portion of the population. While cleverly disguised with complex regulations to avoid immediate backlash, this move is nothing short of a state-sanctioned fraud against a nation already crushed by economic hardship.
This decision, born from the regime’s utter economic desperation, is being implemented under the shadow of the November 2019 uprising. The regime’s leaders know they are playing with fire, and their public statements betray a deep-seated fear that this act of theft could once again ignite the flames of a nationwide revolt.
Unmasking the deception: how the regime hides the price hike
The regime’s new policy is founded on deception. On the surface, it maintains the tiered subsidy system: the first 60 liters of gasoline per month remain priced at 15,000 rials per liter, and the next 100 liters at 30,000 rials. However, any consumption beyond 160 liters, or any fuel purchased using the “emergency card” available at gas stations, will cost 50,000 rials per liter.
The fraud lies in a series of new exceptions designed to make the subsidized rates inaccessible to millions of citizens. According to the new resolution, subsidies are now eliminated for all new domestically produced cars, imported vehicles, cars in free-trade zones, and government vehicles. Furthermore, individuals who own more than one car will only be eligible to receive a subsidy for a single vehicle. This complex web of rules is deliberately designed to push a vast number of drivers toward the highest price, making 50,000 rials the de facto price of gasoline for many.
The motive: a bankrupt regime plundering its people
The regime’s motivation for this desperate measure is clear: it is bankrupt. Decades of institutionalized corruption, economic mismanagement, and crippling international sanctions have completely depleted its reserves. With no other sources of revenue, the ruling clerics have once again resorted to the only solution they know: reaching directly into the pockets of the deprived and long-suffering Iranian people to fund their corrupt and oppressive apparatus.
While the regime and its so-called experts claim this is a necessary step to prevent the budget from collapsing under the pressure of fuel subsidies, this is merely a pretext. The reality is that the livelihoods of ordinary Iranians are being sacrificed to ensure the survival of a fundamentally broken system.
A regime haunted by its past crimes
This price hike is not being implemented in a vacuum. The regime’s leaders are acutely aware that an almost identical decision in November 2019 sparked a massive, nationwide uprising that shook the foundations of their rule. In response, they unleashed a wave of brutal violence, with security forces gunning down at least 1,500 protesters in the streets and arresting thousands more.
Today, the regime is haunted by the memory of that uprising. Its fear is palpable in the words of its own officials and media. Reza Sepahvand, a member of the regime’s parliament, openly warned of the consequences, asking, “How can one suddenly increase the price of gasoline and create social consequences like in 2019?” Similarly, the state-run website Ruydad24, reporting on the decision, ran a headline acknowledging the regime’s fear: “By raising the price of gasoline, Pezeshkian’s government finally swallowed the frog.” The site explicitly referenced the risk of repeating the protests of November 2019 and the undeniable impact on the people’s livelihoods.
Fueling the flames of dissent
In response to this blatant act of plunder, Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, the President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, stated, “As expected, Khamenei and his president have once again maneuvered their way into raising gasoline prices.
“The price of readily available fuel has now jumped to 5,000 tomans. With this state-run swindle, the pockets and dinner tables of an already exhausted public are being emptied even further.
“Soaring costs will inevitably ripple through other sectors as well, piling even more pressure on ordinary people, especially workers and the most vulnerable.”
As expected, Khamenei and his president have once again maneuvered their way into raising gasoline prices.
The price of readily available fuel has now jumped to 5,000 tomans. With this state-run swindle, the pockets and dinner tables of an already exhausted public are being…— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) November 25, 2025
By imposing this fraudulent price hike, the regime is demonstrating its complete disregard for the Iranian people. But in their desperation, regime leaders are also making a critical miscalculation. They are creating the very conditions of explosive anger and dissent that led to the November 2019 uprising. This policy is not a solution to their economic woes; it is fuel for the next great uprising that will hold them accountable for their decades of crime and corruption.