{"id":348864,"date":"2026-10-19T20:09:01","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T19:09:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=348864"},"modified":"2026-10-19T20:09:01","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T19:09:01","slug":"retirees-protest-in-iran-as-regime-infighting-turns-more-dangerous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/retirees-protest-in-iran-as-regime-infighting-turns-more-dangerous\/","title":{"rendered":"Retirees Protest in Iran as Regime Infighting Turns More Dangerous"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A man carries a tray of eggs through a Tehran market as staple food prices surge, pushing basic items beyond the reach of many households \u2014 December 2025<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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

Telecommunications retirees protested<\/a> on October 19 in Isfahan, Kermanshah, Sanandaj, Hamedan and Lorestan, while defrauded investors demonstrated in Yazd. Protesters accused institutions tied directly to the power structure of stripping them of their rights, chanting that they had built the telecommunications sector only for the IRGC and the Execution of Imam Khomeini\u2019s Order to take it over. Other slogans focused on collapsing purchasing power: \u201cOur salaries are in rials, our expenses are in dollars\u201d and \u201cJustice is dead in this country.\u201d<\/p>\n

The protests came as official economic assessments grew markedly darker. Driven by a concern of inevitable unrest, Babak Negahdari, head of parliament\u2019s Research Center, warned that inflation is being driven not by one external factor but by budget deficits, unstable policymaking, currency volatility, unbalanced banks creating unbacked money, inefficient state structures and privileged access to rents. He said the government should cut unnecessary expenditure, reform bloated institutions, eliminate unjustified exemptions and withdraw rent-seeking privileges before imposing more adjustment costs on households. IRNA quoted<\/a> him saying that ordinary people can buy fewer goods with the same income and retirees increasingly do not know whether their pensions will last until month\u2019s end.<\/p>\n

That diagnosis is especially significant against official inflation data showing the scale of the deterioration: September point-to-point inflation was reported at 89.8%, while food inflation was running above 120% and had approached 150% in some provinces. At the same time, Iran\u2019s crude-export revenues have been severely constricted by the maritime blockade. The combination is squeezing both household purchasing power and the state\u2019s access to foreign exchange just as demands on pensions, subsidies and public salaries are rising.<\/p>\n

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Iran\u2019s regime is increasingly governing by emergency: retirees protested across multiple cities, the Assembly of Experts urged nightly rallies to continue until \u201cfull security\u201d is restored, Tehran lost 7,000 students, 70,000 nurses are reportedly out of the profession, and #oil<\/a>\u2026<\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) October 18, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n