On November 18, 2024, protests erupted across Iran, as retirees, workers, and citizens took to the streets to demand higher pensions, unpaid wages, and accountability for human rights abuses. The demonstrations, spanning multiple cities and regions, reflect the growing frustration with the clerical regime’s failure to address economic grievances and its oppressive governance.
Retirees from the Telecommunications Company of Iran (TCI) staged rallies in Tehran, Isfahan (central Iran), Sanandaj (Kurdistan Province, western Iran), Kermanshah (western Iran), Tabriz (East Azerbaijan Province, northwest Iran), Shiraz (Fars Province, southern Iran), and Bijar (Kurdistan Province). Protesters demanded higher pensions and better living conditions, chanting slogans like “Enough with the tyranny, our tables are empty.” Despite repeated demonstrations, the regime continues to ignore their demands for basic services and the implementation of its own pension laws.
November 18—Iran
Retirees and pensioners of the Telecommunications Company of Iran in Tabriz, Shiraz, and Bijar rally to protest low pensions and poor living conditions.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/O3iVRjqiWI— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 18, 2024
Also in Isfahan (central Iran), farmers held a protest on Monday, November 18. The demonstrators expressed their frustration over dire economic conditions and ongoing issues related to water shortages, which have severely impacted their livelihoods.
In Ilam (western Iran), workers and their families staged a protest outside the Argavan Gostar Petrochemical Company on November 18. Demonstrators voiced their frustration over unresolved economic grievances, including poor working conditions and unpaid wages. The protest highlighted the dire financial struggles faced by workers and their families, who are increasingly bearing the brunt of the country’s deepening economic crisis.
November 18—Iran
Retirees of the Telecommunications Company of Iran hold protest rallies in Sanandaj and Kermanshah. Regime authorities continue ignore their demands for higher pensions and basic services based on the regime's own laws.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/6YK7RNZAxp— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 18, 2024
In Talesh (Gilan Province, northern Iran), drivers of flour distribution vehicles held a rally to protest unpaid wages and rents. The drivers criticized the dire working conditions and delays in their payments, underscoring the financial strain faced by workers across Iran.
In a separate development, reports of severe human rights violations in Malekan (East Azerbaijan Province) sparked outrage. Social media revealed the death of a detainee, Ghafar Akbari, under brutal torture in a detention center. According to reports, Akbari suffered horrific injuries, including broken limbs and the removal of toenails, before succumbing to his wounds. Akbari had been detained three weeks prior and was transferred to Maragheh prison after enduring extensive torture.
For the second consecutive day, Akbari’s family and local residents gathered outside the regime’s judiciary office in Malekan to demand justice. In response, the regime deployed riot police and plainclothes agents from nearby regions to suppress the protests, highlighting its fear of escalating public outrage.
November 18—Isfahan, central Iran
Retirees of the Telecommunications Company of Iran (TCI) resume protest rallies for better living conditions.
Protesters chant: "Enough with the tyranny, our tables are empty"#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/8A30OrRfys— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 18, 2024
The nationwide demonstrations, including protests by retirees and workers and the public outcry against state violence, paint a stark picture of a regime unable to address the needs and rights of its people. The clerical regime, instead of providing solutions to Iran’s worsening economic and human rights crises, has resorted to oppressive tactics to stifle dissent.
As protests spread, the voices of Iran’s citizens grow louder in their demands for justice, economic relief, and accountability for decades of systemic failure and repression.