Retirees of Social Security and Steel Industries Protest in Several Cities in Iran: Our Message to the Government is Shame, Shame

Protests by retirees of Social Security, national, and steel industries took place on Sunday in various regions of Iran, including Tehran, Kermanshah, Khuzestan, and Isfahan. According to reports received by Voice of America and published on social media on Sunday, July 31, protesting retirees chanted against poverty, corruption, and discrimination, demanding livelihood and welfare, the release of imprisoned labor activists, and an end to pressures on women. In a rally held in front of the Social Security headquarters in Tehran, the protesters shouted: 'Let go of the hijab, think of us,' 'Our rights can only be obtained in the streets,' and 'Half salaries, even if we remain silent, this is it.' In Kermanshah, protesting retirees also called for the release of Sharifeh Mohammadi, a labor activist sentenced to death. In Shush, retirees protested against the death sentence for Mohammadi, chanting: 'If our problems are not solved, we will come every Sunday,' 'Our message to the government is shame, shame,' and 'Instead of a working man, a military man is sitting.' Retirees from the steel industry also gathered in Isfahan, Ahvaz, and Tehran. Dozens of protesting retirees in Isfahan emphasized their professional demands with placards, chanting: 'Yesterday's industrialists, today's refugees.' Simultaneously, some retirees from the steel industry also gathered in Tehran. The expansion of protests among various groups, including retirees, workers from different industries, teachers, investors, and healthcare workers, indicates the increasing livelihood problems in Iran and the indifference of the Islamic Republic officials. Additionally, slogans such as 'Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, my life is for Iran,' 'The oil money is lost, spent on Palestine,' and 'Leave Syria, think of us' have been chanted in previous protests. In this context, following the increasing livelihood problems of workers and wage earners in Iran, Prince Reza Pahlavi emphasized on Saturday: 'Iran's national wealth, which belongs to Iranian workers and should be spent on their dignified lives and their families, is being spent on terrorists and their missiles in Iraq, Yemen, Gaza, and Lebanon.' Jamshid Asadi, an economist, previously predicted in an interview with Voice of America that the living conditions and economic situation will worsen from what it is now.