{"id":348710,"date":"2026-10-11T20:19:03","date_gmt":"2026-10-11T19:19:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=348710"},"modified":"2026-10-11T20:19:35","modified_gmt":"2026-10-11T19:19:35","slug":"retirees-return-to-the-streets-as-economic-breakdown-reaches-irans-medical-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/retirees-return-to-the-streets-as-economic-breakdown-reaches-irans-medical-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Retirees Return to the Streets as Economic Breakdown Reaches Iran\u2019s Medical System"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Retired
Retired steel factory workers gather along a street in Isfahan, Iran, on October 11, 2026, to protest inadequate pensions and worsening living conditions<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three-minute read<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Economic discontent returned visibly to the streets on October 11, with retirees protesting in Isfahan, Shush and Rasht over pensions, inflation, medical costs and declining purchasing power. Videos from the demonstrations<\/a> show steel retirees marching in Isfahan, Social Security retirees gathering in Shush, and Social Security retirees and teachers protesting in Rasht. In Shush, demonstrators chanted, \u201cOnly in the street can we win our rights,\u201d while others demanded the release of imprisoned workers, teachers and protesters.<\/p>\n

ILNA independently<\/a> confirmed protests by retirees in Shush and Rasht, reporting that participants complained about low pensions, deteriorating living conditions, unpaid arrears and shortcomings in supplementary health insurance.\u00a0The recurrence matters. These are not isolated demonstrations generated by a single unpaid benefit: retirees have been returning repeatedly to the streets as inflation erodes fixed incomes, with previous rounds documented across many of the same cities.<\/p>\n

Other economic grievances were visible beyond the pension system. Workers from Pey-Pel Jonoub demonstrated again in Sirjan after months of uncertainty over jobs connected to the iron-ore sector, while residents of Razjerd in Qazvin protested over what they describe as destruction of natural resources and pressure on agricultural land. The Sirjan dispute is particularly persistent: workers have previously said the company could not or would not continue operations and that unemployment insurance would not cover basic living costs.<\/p>\n

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Armed attacks hit police and army targets in Sistan and Baluchestan in a single day\u2014two officers killed near Zahedan and Nikshahr\u2014as Tehran recasts the #economy<\/a> as a security problem.
Ghalibaf says the priority is \u201ceconomic resilience and internal security.\u201d Pezeshkian calls it a\u2026<\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) October 8, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n