Iran Grapples with Nationwide Economic Protests and Mass Prisoner Hunger Strike

Iran is currently experiencing a period of significant internal unrest, characterized by widespread economic protests across multiple sectors and a mass hunger strike initiated by death-row prisoners. These events, unfolding throughout October 2025, highlight deep-seated economic grievances and concerns over human rights.

Prisoners Launch Mass Hunger Strike Against Executions

Approximately 1,500 death-row prisoners in Qezel Hesar Prison near Karaj began a collective hunger strike around October 12-13, 2025. This action was reportedly triggered by a significant surge in executions across the country. Reports indicate that at least 38 prisoners were executed between October 12 and 14 alone, with over 1,200 executions documented in the first nine months of 2025. The striking prisoners are demanding an immediate halt to all executions and the abolition of the death penalty. They have engaged in sit-ins and chanted 'No to executions'. Families of death-row inmates have also gathered outside Qezel Hesar Prison, echoing calls for an end to capital punishment. The hunger strike has garnered support from prisoners in other facilities, including Evin Prison, and aligns with the ongoing 'No to Execution Tuesdays' campaign, which has seen participation from inmates in 52 prisons across Iran. In response to the protest, the prison warden reportedly threatened to close kitchens, while state media attempted to discredit the strikers.

Widespread Economic Protests Grip Nation

Simultaneously, various professional groups have engaged in nationwide economic protests throughout October 2025, spanning cities such as Mashhad, Abadan, Tehran, Shush, and Yazd. These demonstrations are driven by a range of economic hardships and unfulfilled promises:

• Bakers in cities like Mashhad and South Khorasan have protested unpaid subsidies, rising production costs, and alleged mismanagement of the 'Nanino' flour distribution platform. Some have warned of mass closures due to state-controlled bread prices and bureaucratic delays.
• Refinery workers in Abadan have condemned government policies and demanded the removal of subcontracting firms, citing job insecurity and unfulfilled pledges from the administration.
• Online delivery couriers in Tehran have gone on strike to protest poverty-level wages, dwindling fares, and a lack of insurance, highlighting the precarious nature of their employment.
• Other groups, including nurses, farmers, truckers, retirees, and students, have also participated in protests. Their grievances include rising insurance premiums, poor road security, high fuel prices, low freight rates, unpaid wages, deteriorating living conditions, and inadequate pensions.

The protests underscore a broader economic crisis in Iran, marked by high inflation, an energy crisis, and widespread corruption. Many demonstrators have expressed a lack of trust in authorities and a belief that systemic change is necessary to improve their living conditions.