Livelihood Protests; Gathering of Oil and Gas Workers in Ahvaz and Car Voucher Holders' Protest in Tehran

Livelihood protests continued on Wednesday with a gathering of a group of oil and gas industry workers in Khuzestan and a protest by car voucher holders of Modiran Khodro in Tehran. Simultaneously, a group of citizens in Isfahan protested against the unprincipled activities of mines and the resulting environmental destruction. According to reports received by VOA and published on social media on Wednesday, July 18, a number of employees of the Agahjari Oil and Gas Exploitation Company gathered again in front of the management building of this company in protest against the neglect of their demands. The main demands of this sector of workers in Iran's oil and gas industry include "removal of salary caps, reform of minimum wage, elimination of retirement benefits restrictions, full implementation of Article 10, and prioritizing the defense of the oil pension fund." At the same time, a group of car voucher holders from Modiran Khodro gathered in front of the company's headquarters in Tehran to protest against the increase in car prices. The Modiran Khodro protesters also gathered last week in front of the Government Trading Organization in Tehran to protest against the "unjust and illegal price increase" of the company's products. The citizens' protest is due to a "20 percent increase in prices" of the company's products. The protesters say they have faced a sudden price increase of 200 million tomans and are demanding action against this action by Modiran Khodro. Additionally, a group of residents from the Tarqroud village in Natanz, Isfahan province, protested against the "unprincipled exploitation of construction stone mines" and the damage caused to the environment. These citizens stopped the movement of trucks carrying stones and chanted: "The city has no life, because it has so many mines." These protesters deemed the exploitation of construction stone mines in this area as "unprincipled and exploitative" and emphasized that this process has caused environmental pollution and harmed the agriculture of local residents. The expansion of protests among various groups, including retirees, workers from various industries, teachers, defrauded individuals, and healthcare workers, indicates an increase in livelihood problems in Iran and the indifference of the Islamic Republic's officials. Economist Jamshid Asadi previously predicted in an interview with VOA regarding the rise of the misery index in Iran that the livelihood situation and economic conditions will worsen from what they are now.