While the Iranian regime allocates vast amounts of public funds to strengthen and equip its proxy groups across the region, domestic challenges continue to mount. Political and religious institutions claim significant portions of the national budget, leaving retirees and workers grappling with basic needs, including healthcare and food security. This disparity highlights a growing livelihood crisis that threatens to destabilize Iranian society.
Retirees: A Lifetime of Hardship Without Reward
For many retirees, the rising cost of living has turned the dream of a carefree retirement into a daily struggle for survival. Healthcare costs, which should be a guaranteed right, remain unaffordable for a significant portion of retirees. Despite dedicating decades to their professions, many are forced to prioritize basic necessities over medical treatment.
More than 70% of retirees earn minimum wages, which are insufficient to cover the heavy expenses of running a household. With monthly pensions ranging between 7 to 10 million tomans, retirees face the impossible task of managing escalating costs. The critical question remains: Can any regime official sustain a family on such meager earnings?
Workers: A System in Decline
The plight of workers mirrors that of retirees, with many unable to afford necessary healthcare. In some cases, workers forego dental treatments, opting instead to extract their teeth due to financial constraints. Malnutrition has become a widespread issue, with many workers consuming low-quality food. Eggs, for instance, have become the primary source of protein for the working class, as access to more nutritious options is out of reach. Even basic staples such as potatoes are becoming increasingly difficult to obtain.
Despite periodic promises from successive governments to support low-income groups, meaningful reform remains elusive. Efforts to enforce labor laws and adjust wages to match inflation are consistently undermined. As the country’s largest employer, the government’s reluctance to align public sector wages with those in the private sector exacerbates wage disparities and fosters economic stagnation.
Broken Promises and Rising Prices
President Masoud Pezeshkian came to office promising to address Iran’s economic woes. However, under his administration, the cost of essential goods has surged by an estimated 40%. Far from alleviating the livelihood crisis, these increases have disproportionately affected low-income groups, including retirees and workers.
Adding insult to injury, while millions of Iranians struggle to make ends meet, the regime continues to pour substantial resources into regional allies. For instance, Naim Qassem, Deputy Secretary-General of Hezbollah, recently disclosed that each Lebanese family in Beirut whose home was destroyed receives between $12,000 and $14,000—funds largely sourced from Iran. This contrasts starkly with the minimum annual salary of Iranian workers, which amounts to just 120 million tomans at best (approximately $1,700).
Poverty and Food Insecurity on the Rise
According to official figures from the regime’s Research Center, approximately 26 million Iranians cannot meet their basic needs. Independent social and economic experts argue that the actual rate of poverty is even higher, revealing a widening gap between Iran’s wealthy elite and its impoverished majority.
Deputy Health Minister Alireza Raisi recently acknowledged that per capita consumption of meat, milk, and dairy products in Iran has dropped to less than half of the recommended nutritional standards. Ahmad Shad, Secretary of the Importers of Raw Livestock Products Association, reported that per capita meat consumption now averages less than one kilogram annually. Similar declines have been observed in the consumption of chicken, fruits, and rice, endangering the food security of millions.
The plight of Iranian retirees and workers underscores a broader national crisis that demands immediate attention. Without significant policy changes, the gap between Iran’s political ambitions and the wellbeing of its people will continue to grow, with dire consequences for the country’s future.
