Protests erupted across multiple cities in Iran today, March 4, as workers, retirees, healthcare professionals, farmers, and fishmongers took to the streets to demand their rights, exposing the worsening economic and social crisis gripping the country.
In Tehran, the nation’s capital, steel industry retirees rallied against the mismanagement of the Steel Pension Fund, condemning low pensions and the government’s failure to implement pension equalization. Protesters chanted: “This level of injustice has never been seen by any nation.”
In Shiraz, southern Iran, telecommunications retirees gathered in large numbers to express their grievances, while Isfahan’s farmers and workers from Jahan Pars Company in Rafsanjan, central Iran, also staged protests, calling for better working conditions and fair wages.
Healthcare professionals across Shush, Ardal, and Rasht rallied against deteriorating working conditions, low wages, and unpaid benefits. In Shush, nurses and healthcare workers gathered under the slogan: “Empty promises are enough; our tables are empty.” Similar protests were seen in Ardal, where healthcare workers declared their determination to continue their demonstrations until their demands were met.
March 4—Shush, southwest Iran
Healthcare workers hold protest rally as regime authorities continue to ignore their demands for better working conditions and decent pay.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/rPL28R65IJ— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 4, 2025
In Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, local fishmongers protested the destruction of their marketplace by government authorities, chanting: “For 80 years, this has been our place—where should we go now?” The forced displacement of these workers has left many without a source of income, fueling further discontent.
The ongoing economic crisis has pushed many Iranians into desperate living conditions. State-affiliated news outlets have reported shocking new trends, including the rise of “public bed rentals” in Tehran. Due to soaring rent prices, individuals now resort to renting a single bed for 100,000 tomans per night or 2 million tomans per month, with an additional entry fee of 20,000 tomans.
Additionally, medication shortages and soaring drug prices have led to an alarming increase in “prescription abandonment”, where patients are unable to afford their prescribed medications. Hadi Ahmadi, a board member of Iran’s Pharmaceutical Association, recently admitted that three out of every ten customers in pharmacies leave without purchasing their medication due to high costs.
March 4—Ardal, western Iran
Healthcare workers hold protest rally as regime authorities continue to ignore their demands for better working conditions and decent pay.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/7wk5VvFqGA— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 4, 2025
Even the regime’s president Masoud Pezeshkian has acknowledged that vast sums of subsidized foreign currency meant for medicine imports have disappeared, leading to further shortages and price hikes. According to the state-run Arman-e Emrooz newspaper, the healthcare crisis is deepening, placing an unbearable financial burden on patients who are struggling to afford hospital treatments and essential medicine.
From healthcare professionals to retirees, workers, and small business owners, today’s protests paint a clear picture of a society on the edge. As economic conditions continue to deteriorate and public dissatisfaction grows, the Iranian regime faces mounting pressure from all sectors of society. With protests intensifying across the country, the government’s failure to address these urgent demands only fuels the likelihood of further unrest in the days ahead.
March 4—Bandar Abbas, southern Iran
Fishmongers rally to protest regime authorities destroying their markets and selling places.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/xn8ndOQbuJ— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 4, 2025