Ahmad Delbari, Senior Advisor at Iran’s Welfare Organization, has revealed that 4,800 elderly individuals have been abandoned in hospitals, shrines, and on the streets by their own children. He also confirmed that thousands of retirees have become homeless, now residing in shelters across Tehran.
According to official statistics, Iran has 9.8 million elderly citizens, including 5.15 million women and 4.7 million men. Hesamodin Allameh, the former head of Iran’s National Council for the Elderly, warned that Iran has one of the fastest-growing aging populations in the world, stating that “Iran will not witness a single good day in the field of elderly care over the next decade.”
During a conference on “Aging Justice,” Delbari disclosed that 30% of nursing homes in Iran are filled with unidentified elderly individuals, reflecting the deepening social crisis in the country. He added that aging in Iran has escalated from a “crisis” to a “mega-crisis” due to the lack of supportive policies for the elderly.
Inflation, Falling Pensions, and Homeless Retirees
Iran’s disastrous economic conditions have forced retirees—who should be enjoying a dignified life—to return to work just to survive. Official studies indicate that:
- 25% of retirees receive pensions below the minimum wage.
- 60% of pension payments fall below the poverty line.
- More than half of living expenses are not covered by pensions, forcing retirees to seek additional jobs or work in the informal economy.
As a result, many retirees have lost their homes and become homeless. Field reports confirm that some of them are now living in public shelters in Tehran.
Meanwhile, economic expert Faramarz Tofighi has revealed that the minimum cost of living in major cities is 320 million rials and 280 million rials in smaller cities, while pension payments remain far below these figures.
The Regime’s Regional Spending: A Major Cause of Domestic Poverty
This crisis continues to escalate while Iran’s regime spends billions funding militias and armed groups across the region, as well as advancing its military programs. While Iranian citizens struggle with poverty, inflation, and unemployment, the state’s budget is directed toward foreign interventions and domestic repression. These policies have not only worsened economic conditions but have also fueled growing public discontent.
Rising Protests: The Streets Are the Only Solution
As the economic crisis deepens, retirees have taken to the streets in increasing numbers, chanting slogans that express their frustration with the regime and its policies:
- “Enough with the warmongering, our tables are empty!”
- “Our enemy is right here, they lie when they say it’s America!”
With protests becoming more frequent and economic hardship worsening, it is now clear that retirees have realized that the only solution lies in continuous demonstrations and taking their demands to the streets—not in the empty promises of the regime, which no longer fool anyone.
