Retirees Protest for Livelihood in Three Cities; Slogan 'Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, My Life for Iran' in Ahvaz

In continuation of the livelihood protests, a group of state retirees, including educators, gathered in several cities. Some retirees from the Social Security Organization also joined the protesters in Ahvaz. According to video reports released by the Free Workers Union of Iran on Tuesday, November 2, protesting retirees held gatherings in at least the cities of Ahvaz, Sanandaj, and Kermanshah. The protesting retirees in Ahvaz, the capital of Khuzestan province, chanted slogans such as 'Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, my life for Iran,' coinciding with the war between Israel and Palestinian groups supported by the Islamic Republic. Additionally, during these gatherings, protesters carried placards and shouted slogans including: 'Dollar inflation, our salaries in rials,' 'Poverty line above 28 million tomans,' 'Imprisoned teacher must be freed,' 'No promises, no games, implement equalization,' 'Raisi is a liar, where are your promises,' 'Retirees rise up, to eliminate discrimination,' 'Increase pensions according to inflation rates,' 'Dignity, livelihood, health, our undeniable rights,' 'Free treatment is our undeniable right,' 'Only on the streets can we obtain our rights,' 'Military, civil, steel, social security, unity, unity,' 'How long of humiliation, either death or life,' and 'Workers and retirees, unity, unity.' Protests by retirees have also been ongoing alongside other professional and labor groups in recent days. Jamshid Asadi, an economist, previously emphasized in an interview that the war between Hamas and Israel will worsen the economic situation in Iran. Meanwhile, Morteza Afagh, an economist in Iran, has cited published statistics on poverty stating that in the best-case scenario, 30 million people are 'below the absolute poverty line.'