November 12, 2025, marked another day of protests in Iran. Across the country, from the hospitals of Mashhad to the streets of Ahvaz, citizens from all walks of life rose up against the clerical regime’s systemic corruption, incompetence, and brutality. The day’s events paint a clear picture of a government that can no longer meet the basic needs of its people and a populace that is increasingly unified in its demand for fundamental change.
The Regime Admits Its Bankruptcy
In Mashhad, the country’s second-largest city, nurses held their third consecutive day of protests, moving from Ghaem and Imam Reza hospitals to Akbar Hospital. Their chants cut directly to the heart of the regime’s corruption: “The nurse is crushed, the headquarters’ pocket gets full,” and “The tariff is our right, the money is in your pocket.” They demand an end to discriminatory payment practices and the immediate implementation of fair wages. As one protesting nurse stated, “For years, they have promised justice and equalization, but the only result is more pressure and indifference from managers.”
November 12—Mashhad, northeast Iran
For the third consecutive day, nurses protested at Akbar Hospital, denouncing injustice and discrimination in bonus payments. They demanded fair pay and equal treatment across the health sector.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/2SPnggyJTp— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 12, 2025
The regime, for its part, has all but admitted its insolvency. On the same day, regime president Masoud Pezeshkian’s parliamentary deputy announced that the government could not afford to pay the legally mandated “special bonus” for public sector employees. He cited a staggering financial burden of 600 trillion tomans for the current year, a stunning admission of economic failure that affects not only nurses but also teachers, welfare staff, and other government employees who have been protesting for their rights.
The Betrayal of the People: A Crisis of Livelihood
Beyond the public sector, the regime’s systemic fraud and mismanagement are pushing ordinary citizens to the streets. In Tehran, defrauded customers of the Farda Motor car company protested after paying for vehicles that were never delivered. In Isfahan, housing applicants rallied outside the provincial governor’s office, their hopes for a home dashed by official incompetence.
November 12—Tehran, Iran
Buyers of Farda Motors vehicles gathered outside the state-linked company’s headquarters, protesting months-long delivery delays despite full or major payments. They demanded transparency and immediate delivery of their cars.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/pYjKZ6eVsg— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 12, 2025
Meanwhile, in the southern port city of Bushehr, kiosk owners gathered to protest the municipality’s decision to forcibly evict them and impose crippling rent hikes. Their simple, powerful statement captured the mood of a nation pushed to the edge: “We have nothing left to lose; this is our only way to make a living.”
The Spark in the South: The Martyrdom of Ahmed Baledi
Nowhere was the regime’s cruelty and fear more evident than in Ahvaz. The city has been a hotbed of anger following the tragic self-immolation of Ahmed Baledi, a 20-year-old student, after municipal agents destroyed his family’s small kiosk—their only source of income. Public fury forced the resignation of Ahvaz’s mayor and the dismissal of several other officials, but the people refuse to be placated by symbolic gestures. Their demand is clear: “Resignation is not enough, they must be tried.”
November 11—Ahvaz, southwest Iran
At the funeral of 20-year-old student Ahmad Baledi, who died after self-immolating in protest of the destruction of his family’s stall by city and police forces, mourners expressed anger and grief.
His father declared: “I won’t take my son’s body… https://t.co/q6IpmuhgD6 pic.twitter.com/BPIxKOanY8— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 12, 2025
Ahmed’s father made a defiant vow: “I will not take my son’s body until the mayor and his deputy… are out of the city.” Terrified that a public funeral would morph into a full-scale uprising, security forces coerced the family into a secret, nighttime burial under heavy guard. But this act of intimidation backfired. Despite threats, a large crowd of citizens made their way to the burial site, turning a moment of state-enforced silence into a powerful display of defiance.
These are not disconnected protests. They are symptoms of a terminal illness within the ruling theocracy. The most telling evidence of a burgeoning national movement came from Bushehr, hundreds of kilometers from Ahvaz. There, the protesting kiosk owners—facing the same state-sanctioned destruction of their livelihoods that killed Ahmed Baledi—held up a banner bearing his image.
November 11—Ahvaz, southwest Iran
At the funeral of 20-year-old student Ahmad Baledi, who died after self-immolating in protest of the destruction of his family’s stall by city and police forces, mourners expressed grief and anger toward the regime.#IranProtests https://t.co/q6IpmuhOsE pic.twitter.com/dExnjeqHa2— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 12, 2025
Ahmed’s tragedy has become a national symbol of resistance. The economic desperation of nurses in Mashhad, the anger of defrauded citizens in Tehran, and the defiance of kiosk owners in Bushehr are now connected by a shared understanding that the entire system is the source of their suffering. The regime’s tools of repression are failing. The events of November 12 show an Iranian people who are increasingly brave, organized, and united in their quest to reclaim their country from a corrupt and illegitimate tyranny.