Systemic Breakdown Sparks Protests in Iran’s Major Sectors

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Protest gathering of employees of the National Drilling and Oil & Gas Production Company of Gachsaran – Tuesday, September 2, 2025

On Tuesday, September 2, 2025, Iran witnessed a powerful and coordinated wave of protests that swept across the country, uniting disparate sectors of society in a singular cry against the clerical regime’s systemic corruption and incompetence. From the vital southern oil fields to the capital’s ministry buildings, oil workers, teachers, retirees, and citizens abandoned by the state took to the streets, delivering a resounding verdict on the administration of Masoud Pezeshkian and the enduring failures of Ali Khamenei’s rule.

The simultaneous nature of these demonstrations paints a clear picture not of isolated grievances, but of a nation reaching its breaking point—a unified rejection of a system that has plundered its wealth and crushed its people’s dignity.

The Regime’s Economic Heartland in Open Revolt

The day’s most strategically significant protests erupted in the regime’s economic engine: the oil and gas sector. Workers across southern Iran staged coordinated walkouts and gatherings, signaling deep-seated anger at the heart of the country’s wealth.

September 2—Southern Iran
Oil and gas workers across many southern oil and gas centers in Iran held protest gatherings.
The workers demanded their rights be fulfilled. Their demands include: reforming the wage and salary system, full payment of wages, eliminating unfair… pic.twitter.com/CM64WQpQ5m

— People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 2, 2025

Protests were reported at numerous critical facilities, including the South Pars Gas Complex (at the POGC platforms and the seventh refinery), the Fajr Jam Gas Refinery, Asaluyeh sites 1 and 2, and the Aghajari Oil and Gas Production Company. In Gachsaran, employees of the National Drilling Company held a rally demanding the removal of corrupt intermediary contractors, fair and timely payment of wages, and improved job security. Their demands—which also included the full implementation of Article 10 of the labor law and the elimination of salary caps—expose a system of plunder where the nation’s oil wealth enriches a parasitic elite while the workers who produce it are denied their basic rights.

The Cry for Dignity: Teachers and Retirees Confront the Regime

In Tehran, the Ministry of Education became a focal point of resistance. For the third consecutive day, teachers from the Literacy Movement protested their precarious employment status, demanding the implementation of fair hiring practices. They were joined by retired teachers from the years 2022 to 2024, who rallied against the regime’s failure to pay their rightful pensions and benefits.

September 2—Tehran
Retired educators from the years 2022 to 2024 gathered in front of the Ministry of Education. These hardworking individuals, who have dedicated years to the country’s education system, are now raising their voices in protest against the officials’ disregard for… pic.twitter.com/gaDDxIlMjy

— People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 2, 2025

Meanwhile, a powerful and politically charged protest took place in Kermanshah, where retirees from various pension funds gathered. Their chants moved beyond economic demands to a direct challenge of the regime’s core ideology. Shouting, “Our enemy is right here; they lie that it’s America,” the protesters explicitly identified the ruling clerics as the source of their suffering, rejecting decades of state propaganda. In a remarkable act of solidarity, they also demanded the reversal of oppressive sentences—including expulsion and forced retirement—issued against activist teachers in Kurdistan.

Portraits of a Failed State

The breadth of the regime’s dysfunction was further illustrated by two other poignant protests. In Tehran, fuel truck drivers who have been stranded in Afghanistan held a rally outside the Road Maintenance & Transportation Organization. Their protest highlighted the regime’s utter disregard for its own citizens, leaving them abandoned and in danger abroad without support or recourse.

September 2—Fasa, southern Iran
A group of applicants for the National Housing Plan staged a protest in front of the local office of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development.
These citizens, who have waited for years for the promised homes, pitched tents in front of the office… pic.twitter.com/qt6CjbKWVT

— People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 2, 2025

In Fasa, Fars province, the victims of the regime’s hollow promises took matters into their own hands. Applicants for the “National Housing” project, who have waited years for homes that never materialized, set up protest tents outside the local Roads and Urban Development office. Their action came two weeks after the provincial governor made yet another empty promise to address their situation, exposing a government that is not just corrupt, but fundamentally incapable of providing the most basic services to its people.

The events of September 2, 2025, are not a series of isolated incidents but a cohesive and powerful expression of national disillusionment. The slogan chanted by retirees in Kermanshah—”Unity, unity against poverty and corruption”—perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the day.

The Iranian people are increasingly identifying the entire ruling theocracy as the root cause of their economic misery and social repression. From the oil worker demanding his wages to the teacher demanding her job and the retiree demanding his pension, the message is clear: the regime has failed on every front. The courage and solidarity on display across Iran signal a population that is no longer asking for change but is actively demanding it, building momentum for a future free from the grip of tyranny.