Iran saw a wave of protests on September 23 and 24, 2025, as families, students, and workers demonstrated in multiple provinces over education rights, unpaid wages, and a surge in executions.
In Anar, Kerman province (September 24), families of students from Esmaeili Girls’ High School gathered outside the office of MP Ahmad Anaraki-Mohammadi. They denounced a decision to close the girls’ school and transfer students to Qamar High School so the building could be converted into a boys’ technical school. Parents, who had expected the
boys’ program to move temporarily to a different site based on an earlier Education Department ruling, condemned the change as “a betrayal of their daughters’ future.” Officials present refused to respond to their demands.
In Rasht, Gilan province (September 24), workers at the Iran Poplin textile company held a sit-in at the factory gate, demanding full payment of their August and September wages. Management had offered only partial payouts, which workers rejected as inadequate. Protesters said the delay left them unable to provide for their families as the new school year began.
In Goldasht, Isfahan province (September 23), more than 700 students from the 15 Khordad and 12 Bahman schools protested the sudden closure of their campuses following a land dispute. They were moved to a new, unfinished school lacking electricity and basic facilities. Chanting “School must open!”, students and parents condemned the disruption as irresponsible and harmful to children’s education.
At the same time, families of prisoners in Karaj gathered outside Ghezel Hesar prison on September 23 and 24, demanding a halt to executions after at least six people were
hanged there this week. Rights groups say more than 1,000 people have been executed in Iran over the past nine months, the highest total in 30 years. Relatives carried photos of inmates and placards reading “No to Execution.”
In Ahvaz, Khuzestan province (September 24), workers at the National Steel Group resumed protests over unpaid wages, lost overtime, and cuts to food allowances. They accused management and government officials of making repeated but empty promises.
These protests across Anar, Rasht, Goldasht, Karaj, and Ahvaz highlight mounting frustration over economic decline, mismanagement, and repression, with Iranians increasingly taking grievances to the streets.