On June 5, Esmaeil Khatib, the Iranian regime’s Minister of Intelligence and Security, said, “In the current circumstances the enemy is counting on protests and social conditions!”This is a clear warning to all factions and entities within the mullahs’ regime in Iran, as well as a clear signal to the Iranian people and those seeking to overthrow the regime, that significant opportunities are on the horizon. In Iran, the regime’s Intelligence Minister is one of the most knowledgeable people about what is going on in Iranian society and among the regime’s ranks and files. Therefore, when he mentions “our social conditions,” he’s referring to specific threats aimed at the regime.

 

On June 12, these threats resurfaced as people across the country took to the streets to express their displeasure. Storeowners at the Aminhozour intersection in Tehran’s market began protesting the country’s currency, the rial, and skyrocketing prices of goods. Protesters clashed with the regime’s oppressive security forces during this rally.

The demonstrators began chanting “Shame on you!” and confronted security forces who were clearly caught off guard, surprised, and disorganized. The shopkeepers’ protests, which continued on Monday, June 13, are taking place against the backdrop of other protests taking place across the country.

 

 

People protested in Tehran’s Pars district, Arak, and 23 other cities and towns across Iran and the rallies quickly turned into political demonstrations. People chanted, “Death to [Ebrahim] Raisi!” and “Death to [Mohammad Bagher] Ghalibaf!” as they expressed their displeasure with the regime’s president and speaker of the Majlis (parliament), respectively. Tear gas was used by the regime’s oppressive forces, who clashed with the protesters.

This is a clear warning to all factions and entities within the mullahs’ regime in Iran, as well as a clear signal to the Iranian people and those seeking to overthrow the regime, that significant opportunities are on the horizon. These protests, which have lasted more than a week, are being held by pensioners and retirees whose lives have spiraled into poverty and misery as a result of the regime’s poor economic management.

 

 

Recognizing the tense situation and the potential for things to spiral out of control, Raisi directed his vice president, Mohammad Mokhber, to investigate the country’s pensioners and their protests.

“These days, the poor living conditions and financial issues of pensioners across the country have become more critical than ever before,” according to a piece published in the Jahane San’at daily on June 12. “With each passing day, their financial issues are escalating.”

The reason for this is unprecedented levels of corruption and theft by regime officials and insiders. Despite the fact that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Social Security Organization Fund has no connection to the government, the mullahs’ regime has imposed taxes on it and milked it dry.

 

 

Pensioners’ wages, on the other hand, have only been increased by ten percent despite Iran’s inflation rate hovering between 40 and 60 percent. This puts their wages four to five times below the poverty line in the country. The regime’s escalating plundering at the expense of millions of people across the country has sparked massive social unrest.

This widespread outrage is the driving force behind all ordinary protests, which have quickly expanded to include political demands and harsh criticism of senior regime officials. Protests in Iran have increased in frequency, spread across the country, and become increasingly political since March 21, this year (Iran’s New Year). As things stand, there is no sign of these protests de-escalating.

 

 

 

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MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook), Maryam Rajavi’s on her site, Twitter & Facebook, NCRI  (Twitter & Facebook), and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTu