Friday, March 29, 2024
HomeNEWSIRAN NEWSIran: Retirees hold protest rallies for unmet demands

Iran: Retirees hold protest rallies for unmet demands

Several cities across Iran were witness to protest rallies by retirees and pensioners of the Social Security Organization on Sunday, May 22, protesting low wages and pensions, insurance issues, and poor living conditions. The cities of Tehran, Kermanshah, Rasht, Qazvin, Tabriz, Kerman, Arak, Karaj, and Ahvaz were among those where such protests took place. The protest of the retirees, which occur regularly, are happening as Iran has seen widespread unrests due to declining economic conditions, growing inflation, and skyrocketing prices of basic goods.

The retirees and Social Security Organization pensioners, continuing their gatherings from previous weeks, are calling for an increase in their pensions as an immediate measure to address their growing woes, while the entire economy continues to suffer from mismanagement and massive corruption due to the regime’s destructive policies.

In Kerman, the protesters were chanting that the Social Security Organization is a misnomer for an organization that has done nothing to serve the people. “Promises were good, but they were all lies,” the protesters chanted, referring to the regime’s constant promises to solve the pensioners problems.

The government was supposed to increase pensions in the new Persian calendar year (starting in March). It was also supposed to settle unpaid pensions remaining from the previous year. So far, it has yet to deliver on both demands. A lawmaker confirmed on Sunday that the government has not yet been able to fund the needs of the pensioners.

Interestingly, the regime’s own media reported that The Social Security Investment Company (SHASTA), the financial institution that is supposed to fund retirees, has seen a significant increase in its profits in the past year. However, these profits have yet to materialize in the lives of pensioners and retirees. On Sunday, the protesters were chanting, “Enough with the promises! Our tables are empty!”

In recent weeks, the prices of flour, bread, milk, cooking oil, and other basic food items have increased several-fold. The regime has been making hollow promises to control inflation and prices but has failed to do so.

This has resulted in protests in several cities, which have quickly turned into anti-regime rallies calling for the overthrow of the mullahs’ rule.

While pensioners, workers, drivers, teachers, and other walks of life are deprived of their most basic needs, the regime continues to fund its military and terror apparatus, funneling billions of dollars into the coffers of the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and its terrorist proxies in the region and spending huge amounts on developing and testing ballistic missiles.

On Sunday, protesters in Arak were calling on regime president Ebrahim Raisi to “let go of the country.” Since the beginning of his presidency, Raisi has made bold promises of eradicating poverty, inflation, unemployment, and other economic problems that have been constantly present since the rise of the mullahs to power. But in less than one year, inflation has reached record levels, the price of goods is skyrocketing, and millions of families are struggling to put food on their tables.

RELATED ARTICLES

Selected

fd88217f-1f1b-4525-92f8-1ec00c750fc9_330
PMOI-MEk1-1

Latest News and Articles

No feed found with the ID 1. Go to the All Feeds page and select an ID from an existing feed.