Protests erupted across Iran on Sunday, May 4, 2025, as workers, retirees, grieving families, and ordinary citizens took to the streets in at least seven provinces, demanding economic relief, accountability, and political freedoms.
In Bandar Abbas, families of victims of the deadly Rajaee Port explosion gathered at the docks, blocking access roads and holding photos of missing loved ones. Witnesses said many bodies remain unrecovered. “We won’t leave until they’re found,” protesters chanted. Independent reports estimate hundreds may have died in the blast, far exceeding official tallies.
In Tehran, official oil workers rallied outside the Oil Ministry, demanding implementation of salary reforms and Article 10 of the ministry regulations. Across the capital, Social Security retirees protested low pensions and declining services.
May 4—Tehran, Iran
Oil workers rally outside the Oil Ministry, demanding updated salary scales, full implementation of Article 10 of the Ministry’s laws, and better working conditions.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/BzRehHqyS0— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) May 4, 2025
Similar retiree protests unfolded in Ahvaz and Shush, southern Iran, with demonstrators calling for basic needs and chanting against injustice. In Isfahan, central Iran, steel and mining retirees resumed weekly rallies with chants of “We’re fed up with this injustice.”
In Bandar Deylam, southern Iran, residents protested government policies cutting reduced-tariff boat imports—a critical source of livelihood for 80% of the local population.
In Tehran, customers of Modiran Khodro staged a protest over delivery delays and unmet contractual obligations, gathering outside the company’s offices to demand resolution.
Meanwhile, in Ganaveh, northern Iran, workers and residents rallied against state-linked land confiscations, denouncing what they called the systematic plunder of public land for regime interests.
May 4—Shush, southwest Iran
Retirees of the Social Security Organization hold protest rally, reiterating their demands for higher pensions and basic services.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/sWYqp9FkiQ— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) May 4, 2025
The unrest follows reports of intensified repression: five Tehran metro worker representatives were arrested after earlier protests; in Dezful, western Iran, security forces fatally shot a man during a protest over executions; and in Zibakenar security forces killed a 19-year-old, sparking further protests.
Human rights groups warn the regime’s crackdowns risk further inflaming public anger amid deepening economic and political crises.