Nationwide protests across Iran continued on March 17, 2025, as retirees, nurses, and workers from various sectors took to the streets, demanding unpaid wages, higher pensions, and better working conditions. From Tabriz to Bandar Abbas, demonstrators voiced their frustration over government corruption, economic mismanagement, and institutionalized neglect.
Retirees of the Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI) staged rallies in Sanandaj, Rasht, Bandar Abbas, Bijar, and Shiraz, continuing their Monday protest movement against corrupt management. Demonstrators chanted slogans like “We don’t want an incompetent minister!” and “Shout for your rights!”, demanding pension adjustments and the implementation of laws the regime itself passed but refuses to enforce.
In Rasht, northern Iran, demonstrators directly criticized the regime’s leadership, blaming top officials for their worsening conditions. Similarly, in Sanandaj, western Iran, retirees slammed the government-backed shareholders—Setad Ejraei Farman Imam (controlled by Khamenei’s office) and the IRGC’s Cooperative Foundation—for looting TCI’s assets while ignoring retirees’ basic rights.
March 17—Zanjan, northwest Iran
Livestock traders protest the closure of the Hosseiniyeh livestock market, a key hub for the traders.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/pSRaNsUgJK— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 17, 2025
In Shiraz, southern Iran, workers and retirees from Iran’s long-distance telecommunication sector joined the demonstrations, chanting, “The (Persian) year is over, but they haven’t responded to our demands!” This signaled their determination to continue their struggle into the next year.
Beyond retirees, other sectors also mobilized. In Tabriz, northwestern Iran, nurses from Imam Reza Hospital staged a protest against poor wages and intolerable working conditions, demanding better pay and fair treatment from hospital administrators.
March 17—Tabriz, northwest Iran
Retirees of Telecommunication Company of Iran resume weekly protest rallies, demanding higher pensions and other basic rights and protesting the corruption of regime institutions that run the company.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/536302wwXa— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 17, 2025
Meanwhile, in Zanjan, northern Iran, livestock traders took to the streets over the closure of the Hosseiniyeh livestock market, a critical hub for their business. This highlights the broader economic crisis affecting both urban and rural communities, with regime policies exacerbating hardships.
These latest protests come as Iran’s rulers scramble to prevent a larger uprising. The ongoing demonstrations by retirees and workers reflect a deepening economic crisis and public outrage against the systematic corruption that has impoverished millions.
March 17—Bandar Abbas, southern Iran
Retirees of the Telecommunication Company of Iran (TCI) hold protest rally as authorities refrain from addressing their demands for higher pensions and basic services.
"Shout for your rights," they chant.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/3huaw8Pod0— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 17, 2025
The Iranian regime fears that these movements could escalate into broader unrest, as seen in previous nationwide protests. This fear is compounded by the upcoming Chaharshanbe Suri (Fire Festival), which has historically been used as an outlet for public dissent. In an effort to suppress potential unrest, the regime has already confiscated over 8 million units of fireworks and explosive materials, according to state media reports.
The government’s repeated failure to address these economic grievances and its increasing reliance on repression suggests that Iran is teetering on the edge of a major confrontation between the people and the ruling elite.
With protests now expanding across multiple sectors and cities, the regime faces a growing rebellion that could develop into a full-scale nationwide uprising.