On Monday, October 6, 2025, a powerful wave of protests swept across Iran, revealing the profound and widening cracks in the regime’s authority. This was not an isolated incident but a nationwide tapestry of dissent, uniting diverse segments of society—from retirees and oil workers to bakers and young job seekers—against a common oppressor. The day’s events laid bare the three core failures of the ruling theocracy: systemic economic plunder, institutional corruption that rewards loyalty over merit, and a foreign policy that serves militias abroad while citizens suffer at home.
Key Economic Sectors Paralyzed by Mismanagement
The regime’s economic heartland was shaken as official workers in the vital oil and gas sector held simultaneous rallies in southern Iran. From the energy hub of Asaluyeh to the offshore platforms of Pars South, workers protested against discriminatory wages and managerial neglect, signaling that unrest has reached the core of the state’s revenue stream.
More footage of the protest rally by bakers in Saveh.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/pCklMAHo32
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 6, 2025
This crisis extends to the most basic levels of the economy. In Saveh, bakers gathered outside the governor’s office, declaring they were being driven into bankruptcy by crippling inflation and the removal of government subsidies.
In Kermanshah, municipal drivers protested after authorities suddenly slashed their salaries by 3 million tomans, a move that benefits corrupt city officials while leaving them unable to even afford vehicle maintenance. The regime’s inability to provide basic services was further highlighted in Kermanshah, where citizens who have waited seven years for promised homes in the “National Housing Movement” rallied in despair, holding placards symbolizing the government’s broken promises.
Protesters Directly Target the IRGC and Regime Insiders
The day’s most widespread and coordinated actions came from retired telecom workers, who staged simultaneous protests in at least ten provinces, including Tehran, Isfahan, Khuzestan, Gilan, Kurdistan, and Kermanshah. Their chants directly targeted the economic empires controlled by the regime’s elite: the IRGC Cooperative Foundation and the Execution of Khomeini’s Order Headquarters (EIKO/Setad Ejraei), a parastatal entity under the direct control of the Supreme Leader. The retirees accused these institutions of plundering their pension funds, shouting slogans like, “No nation has ever seen such injustice!”
October 6—Ahvaz, southwest Iran
Retirees of the Telecommunications Company of Iran (TCI) gathered to protest years of injustice and corruption by the IRGC Cooperative Foundation, the Execution of Khomeini’s Order, and major shareholders.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/jcqQq9bWay— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 6, 2025
Meanwhile, in Tehran, the regime’s corruption was throttling the future of Iran’s youth. For the third consecutive month, applicants for teaching positions rallied against a hiring system rigged with nepotism and quotas. After being blocked by security forces from protesting in front of the parliament, they moved their demonstration to the Ministry of Education. Their central chant captured the public’s deep-seated cynicism: “Where is justice in the Islamic Ministry?” One frustrated applicant noted that of a promised 30,000 positions, only 12,000 were listed, with most of those filled through corrupt quotas rather than merit.
The National Security Front: Public Rejects Regime’s Foreign Proxies
In a stark display of public fury over the regime’s foreign policy, citizens in Hamedan gathered outside a university to protest the presence of students affiliated with Iraq’s Hashd al-Shaabi militias. This demonstration was a direct response to reports of an agreement to place members of the Iran-backed proxy force in Iranian universities, with at least 95 having already been enrolled. The protest shows a clear public rejection of the regime’s policy of funneling national resources to foreign militias while the Iranian population suffers. The regime’s response was telling: security forces deployed water cannons to disperse the crowd, who defiantly chanted back, “Coward, Coward!”
October 6—Hamedan, western Iran
Citizens gathered outside a local university to protest the presence of students of the Tehran-backed Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF/Hashd al-Shaabi) in Iranian universities, demanding their expulsion.
Regime security forces tried to… pic.twitter.com/HhD9zVt51l— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 6, 2025
The events of October 6th were not a series of isolated grievances but a powerful, unified verdict from the Iranian people on the regime’s illegitimacy. The anger is organized, widespread, and cuts across every social stratum. From demanding bread and fair wages to chanting against the IRGC’s institutional plunder and rejecting the regime’s foreign proxies on their soil, the message is one. The people of Iran clearly identify the ruling theocracy as the sole source of their suffering. These protests are not disparate cries for help; they are the undeniable precursor to a larger national uprising.