A significant wave of protests swept across Iran on June 8, 2025, as citizens from diverse backgrounds and numerous cities took to the streets, voicing their profound anger over dire economic conditions, systemic corruption, and the regime’s blatant disregard for their suffering.
From retirees struggling with poverty to workers demanding unpaid wages, and ordinary people defrauded by state-affiliated entities, the collective outcry painted a stark picture of a nation teetering on the edge, pushed there by decades of mismanagement and institutionalized plunder.
The driving force behind these widespread demonstrations is the crushing economic hardship faced by millions, predicament protesters directly attribute to the clerical regime’s corruption and misplaced priorities.
June 8—Kermanshah, western Iran
Retirees of the Social Security Organization rally to protest low pensions, poor living conditions, and the government's lack of response to their demands.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/qgdbDuskgo— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) June 8, 2025
In Kermanshah, western Iran, retirees of the Social Security Organization, rallying against meager pensions and unbearable living conditions, chanted, “The national treasury is a den of thieves,” and “Our suffering is due to the plundering of our earnings.” Their signs and slogans, such as “The people’s backs are breaking under the weight of inflation,” left no doubt as to where they lay the blame.
This sentiment was echoed in Ahvaz, southwest Iran, where retirees, also from the Social Security Organization, pointedly criticized the government’s focus on issues like mandatory hijab enforcement while ignoring hyperinflation, chanting, “Let go of the hijab, control inflation,” and “Let go of the hijab, think about us.” Protesters in Ahvaz also decried how “The Supreme Labor Council backs investors,” highlighting the regime’s crony capitalism, which comes at the expense of the working class.
Social Security Organization retirees also rallied in Shush, where their chants included the defiant “We will not live in oppression, we will sacrifice our lives for freedom,” and expressed their outrage with slogans like “Hossein, Hossein is their slogan, lying and theft is their job,” and “Where is the control of inflation? Liar, you tell the people.” The sentiment of widespread managerial failure was captured in a chant from Ahvaz retirees: “From Hormozgan to Gilan, shame on the managers.”
June 8—Ahvaz, southwest Iran
Retirees of the Social Security Organization protest harsh living conditions and low pensions.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/hlP8LH6Id5— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) June 8, 2025
The protests also exposed deep-seated anger over specific instances of corruption and mismanagement involving state-linked entities. In Shahrud, northeast Iran, shareholders of the Biarjomand Cement Company protested a long-stalled factory project. Despite their investments, the project remains incomplete, burdened by outstanding debts, and lacks a concrete plan from Shasta, the state-affiliated entity tasked with its completion. Shasta is behind many corruption cases and the wiping out of billions of dollars of investment by ordinary citizens.
Their frustration was palpable. Similarly, in Tehran, defrauded customers of the Ramak Khodro car company demonstrated their fury after paying for vehicles they never received, facing prolonged delays in court-ordered compensation due to the company’s refusal to comply with the verdict. One defrauded customer lamented, “By the time we filed a complaint, the prices had increased tenfold.”
June 8—Tehran, Iran
Protest by customers of Ramak Khodro car company, who paid for cars they never received and are facing a prolonged delay in getting their court-ordered compensation because the company has refused to comply with the verdict.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/T0f2ySEktZ— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) June 8, 2025
The chorus of discontent on June 8 resonated from various corners of the country and across multiple sectors. Retirees formed a significant contingent, with steel and mine retirees protesting in Isfahan and Tehran over pension issues and the denial of basic services.
Workers, too, raised their voices against exploitation and neglect. In Gachsaran, southwest Iran, contract workers from the Gachsaran Oil and Gas Producing Company protested blatant pay discrimination and poor job conditions, chanting, “From slogan to action, empty promises” and “We won’t sit until we get our rights.”
In Robat Karim, water delivery truck drivers went on strike, part of a larger, recent nationwide action by truckers protesting high fuel prices and low quotas. In Shush, contract workers from the water and wastewater company, with three months of unpaid wages and six years of service without full insurance, also held a protest.
June 8—Robat Karim, northern Iran
Protest and strikes by water delivery truck drivers. This protest happens against the backdrop of a recent nationwide strike by truck drivers, protesting high fuel prices and other economic problems.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/CRfCXwWet3— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) June 8, 2025
Further highlighting the plight of workers, employees of the Industrial Projects Management Company, affiliated with the state-owned institutions, protested in Tehran over unpaid salaries dating back to March 2024, affecting over 700 personnel in Tehran and Kangan. Even farmers voiced their grievances, as seen in Ardebil, where poultry farmers demanded fair pricing for their live chickens to prevent severe losses.
Environmental concerns also fueled protests in Mashhad, where citizens and activists opposed a water transfer project threatening the Hezar Masjid region.
The breadth and intensity of the June 8 protests underscore a profound crisis of legitimacy for the Iranian regime. The slogans chanted, the grievances aired, and the sheer diversity of participants—from Kermanshah to Mashhad, from retirees to oil workers—demonstrate a population that is not only suffering immensely but is also increasingly unafraid to hold the ruling establishment directly accountable.
June 8—Kerman, southeast Iran
Retirees of the steel and mining industry resume protests as regime authorities refuse to address their demands for higher pensions and better living conditions.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/R9zEHkPwpB— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) June 8, 2025
The consistent themes of plundered national wealth, official indifference, and demands for basic rights and dignity signal a populace that has lost all faith in the current system. As the Iranian people continue to find their voice in the streets, their collective outcry is a powerful testament to their enduring aspiration for an end to corruption, repression, and economic devastation, and for a future where their fundamental rights are respected and their nation’s wealth serves its citizens, not a kleptocratic elite.