I moved the post to the other thread.
Smaller cities don’t have dedicated anti riot police. But ordinary officers also don’t make a living wage in Iran. So it’s not surprising if some don’t actively try to stop the riots. Better to let the protestors just vent and only bring in police and soldiers of it turns into vandalism and rioting.
Kurdistan is another problem altogether.
At the end of the day, if the average Iranian had a half way decent economy and livable wage, then Iran could do well. But instead they never focused on the economy and maintained status quo.
Before there were protests maybe every 5-10 years. Now the frequency is becoming every year or every other year.
Well go look at why. 30 years ago $1 USD was less than 1000 Toman. Today it is worth 150,000 Toman! The annual government budget reached the quadrillions of rials.
People with no clue of economics think this is sustainable. That magically US will cave and give Iran a good deal or Iran will build a nuke and U.S. will magically remove all sanctions.
Even if U.S./Israel weren’t doing to attack Iran for another 5 years. At the current pace, the currency devaluation and runaway inflation would basically demolish the Iranian economy and cause mass rioting even worse than the past few years.
Water supply is drying up
Lakes and rivers are drying up
Crop production is lower due to drought
Electricity generation is lower
What is the point of resisting the West if the country is turned into a 3rd world dumpster in the process?
Yes, but they have at least one police station.
You are absolutely right and when you look at it, you see nothing but purposeful manipulation of people's living.
Let's look at official statistics about minimum wage in Iran.
In 2010 (1389), minimum wage in Iran was 303K Tomans, without additional benefits. With additional benefits, it reached almost 360K Tomans. The price of 1 USD was 1,100 Tomans, kept nearly the same throughout the year. So, minimum wage was about $327. Not great, but pretty OK for a country in our neighborhood and definitely livable.
Fast forward to 2025 (1404), minimum wage is 10,390,000 Tomans without additional benefits. With additional benefits, it reaches about 14M Tomans. The price of USD at the start of the year was about 80K Tomans and it is currently at 148K Tomans. So, minimum wage is barely $95.
Iran's oil income in 2008 was much higher obviously. Our 2008 oil income is estimated at $68 billion. Right now, our oil income is about $40 billion annually. A 42% decrease in our oil income, but minimum wage is about one-fourth of what it used to be!
The regime has put all the pressure of sanctions, and more, on ordinary Iranians. Our 15-year average inflation has been around 38%, while minimum wage has increased by 27% on average annually. Is it surprising that the lower-income families and the middle class are calling for a revolution now?
An average household in Iran has about 3.8 members. If we assume $2 per day for each person as the UN poverty line, minimum wage should cover at least $228 per month. And that hasn't been the case for over a decade already. Even if both parents work with minimum wage, they still cannot cover that.
