Regime Arrests, Injured War Veterans Protesting Financial Hardship

Security forces fired tear gas and arrested several veterans of the Iran-Iraq war who had gathered in front of the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs.

On Saturday, a group of Iranian war veterans once again staged a rally in Tehran to protest hardship amid a minimum 70-percent food price inflation and their inadequate pensions.

Videos published on social media show that the security forces and law enforcement agents fired tear gas with some veterans in critical condition due to the inhalation of the gas.

In another video, some of the participants called the officials of the Martyrs’ foundation and the Islamic Republic authorities "liars" and "criminals".

This is not the first time the war veterans protest against their poor living conditions.

In the past years, they gathered many times in front of the parliament urging lawmakers to resolve their issues.

In August, Iran's Council of Retirees reported that one of the veterans wounded in the Iran-Iraq war, named Khosro Yavari, set himself on fire and died in Songhor city of Kermanshah province due to financial hardship.

Earlier, Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf admitted in a televised speech in March that the Islamic Republic has failed to resolve economic problems and control inflation. He said the regime has not been able to help people in covering their daily life expenses.

These remarks come at a time when inflation has increased sharply this year and MPs have warned against another wave of inflation in the coming months.