On a single day, October 27, 2025, Iran witnessed a coordinated wave of protests across multiple cities and diverse social sectors, from retired telecommunications workers to nurses and bakers. While rooted in severe economic grievances, these demonstrations have evolved into a powerful indictment of the regime’s systemic corruption, with protesters directly targeting the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and financial institutions controlled by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The unified message from the streets reveals a populace that clearly identifies the ruling theocracy, not foreign pressure, as the source of its suffering.
A Nationwide Uprising Directly Challenges the Regime’s Core
The most extensive protests were led by telecommunications retirees, who organized coordinated rallies in at least 16 cities, including Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz, Shiraz, Sanandaj, Hamedan, Kermanshah, and Ahvaz. Their slogans left no doubt about the targets of their anger, explicitly naming the main shareholders of the telecommunications company: the IRGC Cooperative Foundation and the Executive Headquarters (Setad Ejraei), a vast financial conglomerate under Khamenei’s direct control.
October 27—Tehran, Iran
Retirees of the Telecommunications Company of Iran (TCI) marched to protest structural corruption and injustice by major shareholders, including the IRGC Cooperative Foundation and EIKO.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/mvzOONJNUL— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 27, 2025
In Kermanshah, the chants were a direct accusation of plunder: “We built the telecom, the IRGC took it, we lost!” This sentiment was echoed across the country, with protesters holding the regime’s most powerful institutions accountable for their stolen pensions and livelihoods. In a daring challenge to the Supreme Leader’s authority, they asked, “Oh, you two institutions of the leadership, why this tyranny?”
Perhaps most significantly, protesters in Tehran dismantled the regime’s longest-standing propaganda narrative, chanting, “Our enemy is right here; they lie and say it’s America.” This slogan, now a staple of popular dissent, confirms that the Iranian people see the corruption within their own government as the primary cause of their hardship.
Discontent Spreads Across All Sectors: A Society on the Brink
The unrest of October 27 was not confined to one group but reflected a society-wide collapse under the weight of the regime’s incompetence and corruption.
October 27—Kermanshah, western Iran
Nurses gathered outside the University of Medical Sciences to protest unpaid overtime and bonuses, warning of a possible strike if their legal rights continue to be ignored.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/Sba4etIfou— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 27, 2025
- Healthcare in Crisis: In Kermanshah, nurses used National Nurse’s Day to protest in front of the University of Medical Sciences. They decried over a year of unpaid overtime and benefits and condemned the university president’s “inefficient management.” Their demonstration was a stark warning to the authorities, as they threatened a general strike if their demands are not met, signaling a critical failure in the regime’s ability to support its most essential workers.
- Financial System Failure: Retirees from Bank Melli gathered to protest mismanagement, chanting defiantly, “Don’t be afraid, we are all together,” a call for unity against institutional injustice. Separately, citizens protested in front of the Ghadir Judiciary Complex over the non-payment of dividends from the government’s “Justice Shares” program, another example of a broken economic promise that has left ordinary people in the lurch.
- A Nation’s Breadwinners Starved: In Mashhad, the crisis hit a new low as bakers rallied against the state-affiliated company “Nanino” and Bank Sepah. They reported working for over three months without receiving promised subsidies, effectively working without pay. One baker’s plight encapsulates the national tragedy: the very people who bake the nation’s bread have been forced into the streets to demand their most basic rights.
October 27—Tehran, Iran
Retirees of Bank Melli held a protest rally denouncing injustice and mismanagement within the bank, expressing anger over years of neglect and unfulfilled promises.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/wepZ0vQQMJ— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 27, 2025
The protests of October 27 are a powerful snapshot of the Iranian crisis. The nation’s wealth is being systematically plundered by the IRGC and Khamenei’s opaque financial networks, while the people—from professionals and retirees to essential workers—are deprived of their basic rights and livelihoods. The diversity of the protesters underscores the universal nature of the suffering and the widespread rejection of the ruling establishment.
The political clarity of the slogans chanted across the country proves that the Iranian people are fully aware of the true source of their misery. They are increasingly bold in demanding fundamental change. This is no longer merely a series of protests for wages; it is a unified and conscious cry for justice against a failed and illegitimate regime.