“Our livelihood is in the mouth of the dragon—we are struggling for bread.” This slogan was chanted on January 6 by retired educators who had gathered in Tehran from all over the country. A slogan that reflects the bone-crushing pain of poverty and deprivation endured by honorable yet plundered and betrayed people, whose livelihood has been held hostage by the regime.
Despite Iran’s exceptional wealth in natural resources, the majority of Iran’s people, especially hardworking groups, face unbearable deprivation, poverty, and pressure. Eighty percent of the population lives below the poverty line. According to regime economists, nearly 60 percent of Iran’s population cannot obtain the minimum calories needed to sustain life and are effectively hungry.
January 6—Tehran, Iran
Recently retired teachers and educators rally to protest low pensions and unpaid retirement bonuses despite the passage of 16 months.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/neazsCTZqn— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 6, 2025
Depravity of this magnitude, which intensifies and spreads daily, is an unprecedented phenomenon in Iran. Anger and protest against this condition are evident in the dramatic increase and spread of demonstrations by various desperate social groups. From workers to teachers, retirees to state employees, people take to the streets daily despite the cold weather, shouting against the rampant injustice. With rising national awareness, slogans in these protest movements have become increasingly political and profound, directly targeting the entirety of the regime despite its oppressive restrictions.
Alongside established slogans such as “The government betrays, the parliament supports” or “Our enemy is right here, they lie when they say it’s America,” which have been repeated in public protests for years, new slogans have emerged. These reveal the public’s clear understanding of the policies causing this crisis and the specific institutions responsible. Examples include “Enough with war-mongering, our tables are empty” and the retirees’ slogan “The Khomeini Orders Office took away the telecom company and stole our rights.”
More images of the protest rally of retired teachers in Tehran. pic.twitter.com/cjx3c5Q7dF
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) January 6, 2025
The flip side of the dark days imposed on the majority of Iranians by the clerical regime is the lavishly extravagant lives of the ruling elites and their children, whose palaces, according to some regime insiders, resemble royal castles.
The response of the ruling plunderers to protesting citizens demanding their confiscated rights is either empty and deceptive promises or dismissal from jobs, imprisonment, threats, and brazen insults. Ghorbanali Dori Najafabadi, the former Minister of Intelligence and an appointee of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, addressed those crying out for their stolen rights during a Friday prayer event in Arak this week with audacity, saying, “Some people should not have unreasonable expectations, hitting their spoons every day, saying we want our wages or whatever… In these circumstances, creating any disruption is a betrayal of the country, a betrayal of the state… a betrayal of everyone… The country’s budget is limited, the resources are limited.”
Ironically, Dori Najafabadi announced during last week’s Friday prayer sermon the opening of a bank account to help “our brothers in Lebanon,” stating that “so far, 65 billion rials have been deposited… and we need at least 30 billion rials per week…” (Regime TV, December 27).
Similarly, when it comes to repression and strengthening the security forces, regime president Masoud Pezeshkian forgets his laments about budget deficits. He tells security forces, “In our government, we are committed to providing everything necessary for your comfort, peace, and equipment so that you can perform your duties without worry.”
Indeed, the poverty and deprivation afflicting the Iranian people are not due to economic reasons. The confrontation and solution are also not economic; this situation will only change with the overthrow of the oppressive regime.