{"id":335695,"date":"2025-08-17T19:38:12","date_gmt":"2025-08-17T18:38:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=335695"},"modified":"2025-08-17T19:38:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-17T18:38:12","slug":"iran-protests-continue-as-regimes-systemic-failures-push-citizens-to-the-edge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/iran-protests\/iran-protests-continue-as-regimes-systemic-failures-push-citizens-to-the-edge\/","title":{"rendered":"Iran Protests Continue as Regime\u2019s Systemic Failures Push Citizens to the Edge"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Retirees
Retirees of the Social Security Organization resume protest rallies,\u00a0August 17, 2025\u2014Shush, southwest Iran<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Protests continued across Iran<\/a> on August 16 and 17, 2025, uniting retirees, industrial workers, and ordinary citizens in a powerful display of dissent against the clerical regime\u2019s systemic corruption and catastrophic mismanagement. From the capital Tehran to the oil-rich city of Gachsaran and small towns in between, the streets echoed with chants that were not just demands for economic relief but a damning indictment of a failed state. The protests underscore that despite the recent installation of Masoud Pezeshkian as president, the fundamental crises driving the nation toward collapse remain unresolved, fueling the people\u2019s determination for fundamental change.<\/p>\n

The Cry of the Elders: Retirees Demand Dignity and Survival<\/h2>\n

On Sunday, August 17, retirees\u2014a generation that has spent decades serving the country\u2014led the charge with simultaneous demonstrations in at least six major cities. In Tehran, Karaj, Isfahan, Ahvaz, Shush, and Rasht, they gathered to protest poverty-level pensions and the denial of basic rights, including free healthcare. Their slogans moved far beyond simple economic grievances, directly targeting the regime\u2019s bankrupt policies and misplaced priorities.<\/p>\n

In Ahvaz, retirees chanted, “Our rights are only won on the streets!” and “War-mongering is enough, our tables are empty!”\u2014a clear rebuke of the regime’s foreign adventurism at the expense of its own people. In Isfahan, retired steel and mine workers marched with signs declaring, “The bankrupt government is the enemy of the retiree!” while those in Tehran and Karaj demanded, “Decent living and dignity are our inalienable rights!”<\/p>\n

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More footage of protests by retirees of the Social Security Organization in Shush under the scorching summer heat around 50 degrees Celsius.#IranProtests<\/a>pic.twitter.com\/P99DT8Qpie<\/a><\/p>\n

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI\/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) August 17, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n