On June 9, 2025, retired employees of the Telecommunications Company of Iran (TCI) staged coordinated protests across numerous Iranian cities, demanding long-overdue financial adjustments and an end to systemic plunder by regime-affiliated entities. These demonstrations, which saw retirees take to the streets in Tehran, Tabriz, Kermanshah, Bijar, Shiraz, Sanandaj, and Zanjan, highlight the deepening economic crisis and the growing boldness of citizens in confronting state-linked corruption.
Decades of Service Met with Neglect and Unfulfilled Obligations
The retirees, who have dedicated their working lives to the country’s telecommunications sector, are demanding fundamental rights eroded by years of economic mismanagement and rampant inflation. Their core grievances include the urgent need for welfare allowances from 2022 and 2023 to be updated to reflect the soaring cost of living.
June 9—Iran
Retirees of the Telecommunications Company of Iran resume protests across the country, reiterating their demands for higher pensions and better living conditions.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/WBxpxVpaK4— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) June 9, 2025
They also demand that the TCI management comply with a 2010 executive regulation requiring pensions to be adjusted according to living costs—a regulation systematically ignored. Furthermore, the protesters are calling for the resolution of long-standing issues with their supplementary insurance and the full payment of all past-due amounts at current, inflation-adjusted rates. For these veterans, the failure to meet these demands translates into a daily struggle for survival, as their meager pensions are continuously devalued.
Protesters Confront Powerful Regime-Linked Entities by Name
Significantly, the protesting retirees are not shying away from directly accusing powerful parastatal organizations deeply entrenched within the regime’s economic and power structures. In Kermanshah, chants such as “The Setad (Execution of Khomeini’s Order) has stolen our pensions” and “The IRGC Cooperative Foundation has also eaten our rights” echoed through the streets, directly implicating entities often considered untouchable.
These accusations point to a belief that their financial woes are not merely a result of bureaucratic incompetence but of deliberate plundering by organizations connected to the highest echelons of power.
June 9—Tehran, Iran
Protest by telecommunications retirees, highlighting their frustration with economic conditions and government policies. Protesters chant, "Leave hell alone, think about us."#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/YTu4uIU0UX— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) June 9, 2025
In Bijar, retirees rallied against the company’s state-backed shareholders for failing to fulfill financial obligations and pay rightful pensions. They specifically demanded the full implementation of regulations 2010, which they state would guarantee their legal rights for over 15 years but have been systematically ignored by major shareholders, including Setad (EIKO). Similarly, in Shiraz, retirees from Fars province emphasized the demand for “implementation of the bylaws, which is our undeniable right,” bylaws that have been trampled for years under the feet of shareholders affiliated with Khamenei’s office and EIKO.
Slogans of Defiance Reveal Deep-Seated Anger and Political Disillusionment
The slogans chanted during these protests go beyond mere economic demands, revealing a profound disillusionment with the regime’s governance and its claims of religious legitimacy. In Tehran, protesters chanted, “Leave hell alone, think about us,” a direct jab at the regime’s often-touted ideological priorities over the immediate welfare of its people. Another chant in Tehran was particularly scathing: “Hossein, Hossein is their slogan, theft and plunder is their work,” exposing the perceived hypocrisy of officials who invoke religious figures while engaging in systemic corruption.
June 9—Tabriz, northeast Iran
Retirees of the Telecommunications Company of Iran resume rallies in front of TCI's provincial headquarters, protesting low pensions and the government's lack of response to their demands.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/BOJh4qAFzj— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) June 9, 2025
In Kermanshah, the frustration was palpable with cries of “Retirees rise, shout for your rights,” “14 years of treachery, shame on you,” and “The TCI obeys no laws.” Across other cities like Sanandaj, Zanjan, and Tabriz, the sentiment was similar, with protesters chanting, “We haven’t seen justice, we’ve only heard lies,” and the recurring call, “Retiree, shout, cry out for your rights.” These slogans collectively paint a picture of a populace that feels betrayed, lied to, and systematically robbed by the very institutions meant to serve them.
A Resilient Uprising Against Systemic Injustice
The coordinated and sustained protests by Iran’s telecommunications retirees are more than just a labor dispute; they represent a significant challenge to the Iranian regime’s authority and its narrative of stability. The protesters’ courage in naming powerful entities like Setad and the IRGC Cooperative Foundation as culprits in their impoverishment demonstrates a growing refusal to be silenced.
These chain rallies, once again, showed that the retirees’ uprising is not just a guild demand; rather, it is a cry against religious dictatorship, institutionalized corruption, and the discrimination of plundering institutions affiliated with Khamenei’s office. The unyielding spirit of these retirees underscores a widespread and deeply felt yearning for justice, accountability, and fundamental rights that the ruling establishment appears unwilling or unable to provide.