As inflation soars, over 9 million disabled Iranians face severe economic hardship and unfulfilled government promises
Behrouz Morovati, a leading disability rights activist in Iran, has warned that the country’s soaring inflation has created a catastrophic economic situation for people with disabilities. According to Morovati, the average monthly income for a severely disabled person, including all available stipends, subsidies, and welfare payments, barely reaches 3 million tomans — a fraction of what is needed to survive.
The ILNA news agency reported on Friday, November 7, that the Employment Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities — mandated by Article 10 of the Law on the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (ratified in 2017) — has yet to begin operation nearly seven years after its creation.
Morovati told ILNA that although the concept for this support fund dates back to 2004, it has been repeatedly delayed due to bureaucratic infighting, lack of political will, and disputes over leadership appointments. He noted that even after the Guardian Council approved its charter, ongoing administrative disagreements have kept the fund inactive — a delay that has worsened the financial suffering of Iran’s disabled community.
Years of Broken Promises and Protests
Over the past several years, people with disabilities and their families have staged protests across multiple Iranian cities, demanding the enforcement of existing laws, fair benefits, and the government’s accountability for years of neglect.
Morovati emphasized that the government has also failed to implement Article 27 of the same law, which requires disability pensions to equal at least 20 percent of the annual minimum wage under Iran’s Seventh Development Plan. “The government does not even pay the current stipends in accordance with its own legal commitments,” he said.
He added that despite record inflation and collapsing purchasing power, the total financial support for a severely disabled person — combining all forms of assistance — barely reaches three million tomans, while about 300,000 individuals remain on waiting lists to receive such payments.
Stark Inequality and Rising Despair
Morovati warned that the gap between disability benefits and the poverty line has become astronomical. “When the poverty line is estimated between 30 and even 70 million tomans, it shows how unbearably hard it is for people with disabilities to meet even the most basic living needs,” he said.
The activist also criticized the regime for failing to implement the three-percent employment quota for people with disabilities, noting that only around one percent of this quota has been realized.
Millions Left Behind
According to Javad Hosseini, head of the State Welfare Organization, more than 9.7 million Iranians live with disabilities, making up roughly 11.5 percent of the country’s population. Official reports indicate that around 60,000 people are added to this number every year, largely due to road accidents.
Despite these alarming statistics, Iran’s clerical regime continues to ignore the disabled community’s legal rights and basic human dignity. As activists warn, the combination of skyrocketing inflation, legal noncompliance, and systematic exclusion has pushed millions of disabled Iranians to the edge of survival — a crisis that starkly exposes the regime’s indifference to the most vulnerable members of society.
