{"id":259863,"date":"2022-06-08T11:50:12","date_gmt":"2022-06-08T09:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=259863"},"modified":"2023-02-05T11:19:49","modified_gmt":"2023-02-05T10:19:49","slug":"economic-woes-cause-protests-but-why-do-irans-people-target-regime-officials","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-protests\/economic-woes-cause-protests-but-why-do-irans-people-target-regime-officials\/","title":{"rendered":"Economic Woes Cause Protests, but Why Do Iran\u2019s People Target Regime Officials?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"iran-protests-07062022-7\"<\/p>\n

On June 5, the death anniversary of the Iranian regime\u2019s founder Ruhollah Khomeini, all officials, from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei to military commanders in rural villages, expressed concern over ongoing protests in Iran<\/a>. Their orchestrated remarks revealed the regime\u2019s fear of a volatile society and the Iranian opposition\u2019s impact on domestic developments.<\/p>\n

In less than a day, retirees and pensioners of Iran\u2019s Social Security Organization held a nationwide protest calling out regime officials. With people chanting slogans against the regime\u2019s President Ebrahim Raisi, these protests proved the mullahs\u2019 fear is not unfounded. Reports from Iran indicate another series of protests in many Iranian cities on Tuesday, June 7.<\/p>\n

Videos from a dozen Iranian cities, including Tabriz, showed hundreds of protesters chanting \u201cdeath to Raisi\u201d and \u201cWe can only obtain our rights by coming onto the streets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Deprived of their already meager pensions, Iranian retirees and pensioners demanded their salaries to be commensurate with the skyrocketing prices and inflation.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccording to Iran’s Statistics Center, the inflation hovers around 38.7%, but unofficial statistics, it is closer to 50%. Also, the household subsistence basket has reached more than 120,000,000 rials. Meanwhile, pensions hardly cover only a third of retirees’ living expenses. Still, the government has delayed the implementation of increasing the salaries and pensions of eight million pensioners,\u201d Sharq daily acknowledged on June 6.<\/p>\n

While people can hardly make a living due to skyrocketing prices<\/a>, Raisi\u2019s government removed the \u201cpreferential exchange rate\u201d used to import essential goods at slightly lower prices, causing another surge in living costs.<\/p>\n

Simultaneous with increasing oppression in the face of growing protests, Raisi, and his ministers make ridiculous gestures, such as eradicating poverty in two weeks, ordering costs to stop rising, and inviting Iranians to exercise austerity! These desperate attempts to quell Iran\u2019s restive society are the subject of mockery, even by Iran\u2019s state media.<\/p>\n

\u201cOfficials should leave their luxurious lives, then invite people to economic austerity. We cannot stop prices from increasing by issuing orders. Inflation doesn\u2019t buy these words and keeps on rising. The ruling system bears all responsibility for people\u2019s current situation,\u201d the state-run Mostaghel daily wrote in this regard on June 6.<\/p>\n

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Iran\u2019s social security pensioners rally on 2nd day, chant \u201cDeath to Raisi!\u201d<\/div><\/div>
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