On February 11, protests erupted across Iran as workers, nurses, and defrauded homebuyers took to the streets, voicing their anger over economic distress and government mismanagement. Demonstrations were reported in Tehran, Bushehr, Qazvin, Gilan, Dehdasht, and outside Evin Prison, where citizens rallied against inflation, unpaid wages, and the rising number of executions.
In Tehran, the nation’s capital, nurses at Rasoul Akram Hospital staged a protest, chanting: “Empty promises are enough, our tables are empty!” Their demonstration comes amid worsening working conditions and unpaid wages in Iran’s crumbling healthcare sector.
In Bushehr, southern Iran, contract workers at Fajr Jam Gas Refinery echoed similar frustrations, chanting: “Enough with promises, our tables are empty!” The oil and gas industry, once a pillar of Iran’s economy, has been hit hard by mismanagement, sanctions, and delayed wages, leading to rising labor unrest.
In Qazvin, northern Iran, victims of the National Housing Plan gathered outside the governor’s office, protesting the government’s failure to deliver promised homes despite years of payment. They chanted: “Protest is our undeniable right!” and “Worker, raise your voice, demand your rights!” Their frustration highlights the widespread housing crisis, worsened by inflation and rampant corruption in real estate projects.
Meanwhile, in Gilan, northern Iran, workers at Foolad Khazar Steel Plant staged a strike over unpaid wages and job insecurity. Reports indicate growing labor activism in the industrial sector as inflation erodes purchasing power.
In Khash, southeastern Iran, security forces conducted a violent raid on the Islamabad neighborhood of Khash, using live ammunition and forcibly arresting 30-year-old Mahmoud Shahnawazi, a father of two. Reports indicate that he was taken to an undisclosed location, with no official charges announced. The escalating security operations in Baluch-majority regions follow months of unrest and heightened repression against ethnic minorities in Iran.
Reports from Chabahar, southeastern Iran, revealed a violent raid by security forces on Hootabad on February 9, where police attacked local workers and demolished homes belonging to Baluch residents without prior warning or legal justification.
According to state media, outraged parents of top students killed in a bus crash confronted the Minister of Education at their gravesites in Kerman. A grieving mother threw dirt at the minister, while a victim’s sister demanded accountability: “Why are you here if you refuse to take responsibility?” The tragedy, caused by government negligence, has sparked widespread public outrage.
The protests come amid severe financial turmoil, with the Iranian rial hitting record lows, the stock market plunging by 37,000 points, and 93% of the Tehran Stock Exchange closing in the red on Tuesday. With economic hardship mounting and public anger boiling over, Iran is witnessing a growing wave of civil unrest, signaling deep dissatisfaction with the clerical regime’s handling of the country.