Audio Message from Political Prisoner Parisa Kamali from Yazd Central Prison
Parisa Kamali, a political prisoner held in Yazd Central Prison, sent an audio message referring to the continued crimes and successive executions carried out by the Iranian regime, from the 1988 massacre of political prisoners to the present. She stressed that the regime seeks to ensure its survival by creating fear and terror through executions, but that it has miscalculated. In her message, she called on the international community and human rights organizations not to turn a blind eye to the crimes committed by the executioner regime and to take appropriate action to stop its killing machine.
Parliamentary Research Center Warns About Expansion of Poverty in Iran
A new report by the Iranian regime’s Parliamentary Research Center paints an alarming picture of the future of livelihoods and the expansion of poverty in Iran. According to the state-run Siasat Rooz newspaper on July 27, “If the current trend continues, the poverty rate will increase from 41% in 2026 to 45.5% in 2028.” As a result, nearly half of the country’s population would be living below the poverty line. These figures are not merely economic indicators; they reflect conditions that many citizens experience through rising daily expenses, declining purchasing power, and increasing difficulty in meeting basic needs.
Poverty: From Official Statistics to People’s Daily Reality
The Iranian regime’s Parliamentary Research Center emphasizes in its report that the expansion of poverty is not limited to declining household incomes. It identifies deteriorating educational quality, the gradual removal of healthcare services from household budgets, malnutrition, rising school dropout rates, increased child labor, and the expansion of social harms as among the most significant consequences of this trend.The Value of the Rial on a Downward Slope: Direct Consequences of Pre-Crisis Policy FailuresThe report also points to declining social optimism. Many families have been forced to eliminate part of their food basket. Some young people have postponed starting families, while many retirees face difficult choices between purchasing medication and paying housing costs. These examples illustrate that the livelihood crisis has gone beyond statistics and has become part of everyday life.
Rural Areas: A New Epicenter of the Livelihood Crisis
One of the report’s key sections focuses on rural areas. The Iranian regime’s Parliamentary Research Center warns that poverty is increasing more rapidly in rural regions than in urban areas. This trend could have consequences extending well beyond declining rural incomes. According to the state-run Siasat Rooz newspaper, “The continuation of this trend increases the likelihood of large-scale migration to cities, the expansion of informal settlements, declining rural populations, and the weakening of the agricultural sector. These developments could have broad economic and social consequences for the country’s structure.”The Iranian Regime’s Parliamentary Report: A Critique of Policymaking
In another section, the report states that the roots of the livelihood crisis are not limited to sanctions or international conditions. The state-run Siasat Rooz newspaper writes: “In recent years, people’s livelihood and social issues have not been the top priority in policymaking, and no sustainable program has been implemented to curb poverty, strengthen the middle class, and improve public welfare.” The report also emphasizes that although security tensions and regional conditions may intensify economic pressures, problems such as chronic inflation, declining purchasing power, reduced investment, and rising poverty already existed in Iran’s economy and cannot be attributed solely to recent developments.The Erosion of the Middle Class and Growing Social Inequality
The report by the Iranian regime’s Parliamentary Research Center warns that if current trends continue, not only will the number of people living below the poverty line increase, but the middle class will also be weakened further. The shrinking of the middle class could deepen economic inequality, reduce social capital, and increase public distrust. The report concludes by emphasizing that if current trends persist, poverty will evolve from an economic challenge into a widespread crisis affecting social, cultural, and even security spheres. For this reason, the Iranian regime’s Parliamentary Research Center describes these figures as a serious warning about the future of livelihoods and public welfare in Iran. The report by the Iranian regime’s Parliamentary Research Center presents a picture of conditions in which economic indicators are closely intertwined with the daily realities of many citizens. According to the report, rising living costs, declining purchasing power, and expanding poverty could become even more widespread if current trends continue, with significant consequences for the country’s economic and social structure.Iran: At Least 26 Prisoners Executed in One Week
The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) announced that between July 28 and August 3, at least 26 prisoners were executed in prisons across Iran. The council stressed that the actual number of executions is higher than the reported figure and linked the increase in executions to escalating domestic and international crises, as well as the Iranian regime’s concern over the spread of protests.
According to the report, the Iranian regime’s Judiciary announced on Monday, August 3, that Omid Behzad and Pouria Safvat had been executed on charges of “espionage and intelligence cooperation with Israel.”
The 132nd Week of the ‘No to Execution Tuesdays’ Campaign Across 59 PrisonsThe NCRI also reported that political prisoner Arvin Kheirkhahan, who had been arrested during the Dey (December–January) protests, was executed in Shahrud in the early hours of Saturday, August 1. The council noted that three days after the execution, the Iranian regime’s Judiciary had still not released any official statement or details regarding his case.
Execution: The Iranian Regime’s Only Means of Survival
According to the published figures, six more prisoners were executed in various prisons on Saturday, August 1. Those identified were Mohammad Ali Narouei and Mohammad Bakhsh Shahbakhsh in Damghan, Farzad Feyzi and Hassan Mousavi in Shiraz, and Mohammad Davoudi and Esmaeil Aghaei in Semnan. The council also reported that Alijan Garavand had been executed at Ghezel Hesar Prison on Thursday, July 30. The report further states that on Wednesday, July 29, another 10 prisoners were executed in Ghezel Hesar, Taybad, Gorgan, and Urmia prisons. Among those identified were Seyed Ahmad Tabatabaei Zavareh, Hassan Khalili, Nader Abil, Ezzat Kazemzadeh, Sina Bahrami, and Farzad Sobhani. According to the council, Farzad Sobhani was 16 years old at the time of the offense attributed to him. The NCRI also reported that on Tuesday, July 28, in addition to the executed uprising prisoners Abolfazl Sepahi and Amirhossein Safari, four other prisoners—Amir Ali Soleimani, Mokhtar Alizadeh, Ali Rasouli, and one unidentified prisoner—were executed at Ghezel Hesar Prison. According to the report, in the preceding days, Eshagh Sistani was executed in Ferdows; Ehsan Marei in Mashhad; Shamseddin Afshari and Faraj Yahyaei in Zanjan; and Amir Abbas Hatami, Javad Mirhosseini, and Sardar Ghaderi in Gonbad-e Kavus and Urmia. At the end of its report, the National Council of Resistance of Iran called on the United Nations and other international organizations to take urgent action to halt executions in Iran. The council also called for the dispatch of an international fact-finding mission to visit Iran’s prisons and meet with prisoners, particularly political prisoners.The 132nd Week of the ‘No to Execution Tuesdays’ Campaign Across 59 Prisons
In the 132nd week of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign, political prisoners in 59 prisons across Iran launched a hunger strike on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, once again expressing their firm opposition to the continued issuance and implementation of death sentences. Now in its third year, the campaign has become one of the most widespread, sustained, and influential protest movements inside the country’s prisons.
On this occasion, members of the campaign issued a statement. The full text of the statement is as follows.
Continuation of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” Campaign in Its 132nd Week Across 59 Prisons
A Call for Collective Solidarity Against Executions
As we have witnessed in recent weeks, the crisis-producing and crisis-dependent regime ruling over the lives of the people has expanded the use of executions. Since July 23, it has executed 35 people, including one juvenile offender and one woman. Twenty-eight of these individuals were executed between July 28 and now, including three protesters from the January uprising.Three Political Prisoners Subjected to Enforced Disappearance in Evin PrisonThe Iranian regime, which has made its survival dependent on the repression and exploitation of the people, especially the underprivileged and working classes, has used the pretext of war to intensify its assault on people’s lives and livelihoods. It has deployed loyalist groups to occupy the streets at night, filled public spaces with repression, stationed armored units and checkpoints along major roads, and made no effort to stop the war. This is because it does not fear war; rather, as during the eight-year Iran-Iraq War, it views external threats as a blessing. Despite their many internal disputes, all ruling factions fear the outbreak of a domestic uprising. They know that through their missile infrastructure they can buy time against the United States and Israel to secure their survival. No country or foreign power, despite the Iranian regime’s warmongering, brings peace, democracy, equality, or human rights to Iran or the region. As opponents of the death penalty, we are naturally opposed to war and foreign intervention as well, and we have repeatedly declared this position. Prosperity, equality, freedom, happiness, and the rejection of every form of exploitation and dictatorship can only be achieved through the people and collective power. That is why Mojtaba Khamenei, the unseen authoritarian leader, is carrying out his father’s will, reviving the methods of the 1980s by bringing execution cranes into the streets to publicly take the lives of Amirhossein Safari and Abolfazl Sepahi, and by executing 19-year-old Arvin Kheirkhahan in Shahrud, a young man full of hope for life, continuing the massacre of the January protesters in this manner to prevent any form of protest aimed at fundamental revolutionary change. Meanwhile, his representatives praise the benefits of executions during Friday prayers and on state-run radio and television, glorifying the executioners. Any awakened conscience must ask: if these protesting youths were truly criminals and murderers deserving of public execution, why were their trials not held publicly? Why were they secretly tortured and prosecuted? Inside the prisons, however, we are witnessing remarkable resistance. Courageous and determined prisoners continue to protest repression both inside and outside prison in various ways. They are sent to solitary confinement, exiled to other prisons, yet they appear silent only when they are taken to the gallows and become immortal. This resistance is not limited to political prisoners. Over the past two weeks, 1,500 prisoners in Unit Two of Ghezel Hesar Prison maintained a hunger strike for more than two weeks with unwavering determination, refusing to end it until prison and prosecutorial authorities committed themselves to halting executions. At the same time, the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign continues in solidarity across 59 prisons, and we, the imprisoned members of the campaign, have become even more determined as executions intensify. Given the current situation, in which one protester—including those arrested during the January protests—is executed almost every day, raising public awareness about executions is essential. Execution is the deprivation of life and a form of state violence, and in Iran every execution serves a political purpose: to spread fear and terror. Today, this inhumane practice threatens the entire Iranian society. We consider it necessary to thank all political parties and organizations, human rights, labor, and civil society groups, retirees, and domestic and international figures for opposing the death penalty in general and for supporting the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign. At the same time, with all humility, we expect all political, human rights, labor, and civil organizations that oppose executions to defend the “right to life” and “No to Execution” without reservation. Given that prisoners have carried forward the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign in unity for 132 weeks in row, fulfilling what they see as their minimum duty despite members being transferred to solitary confinement, beaten, and executed, opponents of the death penalty are expected to take effective steps to stop executions and use every available opportunity for practical action against them. The fact that prosecutors of the Iranian regime have threatened even those who merely speak out against executions with punishment demonstrates the growing influence and importance of the anti-execution movement. Therefore, opposition to the death penalty must become even broader and include all individuals sentenced to death, whether political prisoners of any affiliation or non-political prisoners regardless of the charges against them. As we have repeatedly declared, our strength lies in our solidarity, and through resistance and collective organization we will break the barrier of dictatorship and executions. Members of the “No to Execution Tuesdays” campaign are on a hunger strike on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, marking the campaign’s 132nd week across 59 prisons throughout Iran.
Iraq: Iranian Regime Violated Commitments Regarding Strait of Hormuz
As tensions over maritime security in the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea continue, Iraqi officials said negotiations with the Iranian regime to ensure the safe passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz are still underway. However, Baghdad says Tehran has not fulfilled its previous commitments.
Bassem Mohammed Khudair, Iraq’s oil minister, told the Iraqi state-run news agency that Baghdad hopes to reach agreements with the Iranian regime in the coming days that will guarantee the security and smooth passage of oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz.
The Importance of the Strait of Hormuz as a Vital Artery of the Global EconomyAccording to him, the negotiations have continued alongside the recent visits of Iraqi Prime Minister Ali Falih al-Zaidi as part of political and economic consultations between the two sides. The remarks came one day after Haider al-Aboudi, spokesperson for the Iraqi government, said Baghdad had previously received assurances from Iranian regime president Masoud Pezeshkian that Iraqi oil tankers would be exempt from the restrictions imposed in the Strait of Hormuz. However, al-Aboudi stressed that the promise has not yet been implemented, adding that Tehran continues to view the Strait of Hormuz as one of its most important sources of leverage in the current crisis. Meanwhile, Turkey also backed Saudi Arabia’s initiative to establish a multinational maritime defense coalition aimed at protecting international shipping routes and ensuring the security of global trade. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, during a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, strongly condemned the attacks by the Iran-backed Houthi militia on commercial vessels in the Red Sea and reaffirmed Ankara’s full support for Riyadh’s efforts to ensure maritime security. The two leaders also discussed the latest regional developments, bilateral relations, and ways to expand political and security cooperation. Saudi Arabia proposed the formation of a multinational maritime defense coalition following the escalation of attacks by the Iranian regime-backed Houthi militia against commercial ships and oil tankers. Saudi officials describe the initiative as an international effort to protect freedom of navigation, energy security, and the continuity of global trade.
The Value of the Rial on a Downward Slope: Direct Consequences of Pre-Crisis Policy Failures
Economic experts always emphasize the key role of smart governance in maintaining financial stability and preserving the value of Iran’s rial. A look at official statistics reveals that incompetence in economic policymaking is the primary driver of the current crisis. The Iranian regime’s officials failed to make the country’s financial structures resilient against internal and external shocks. The absence of a comprehensive support program has doubled the negative impacts of this situation on public livelihoods. In recent years, imbalances in the public budget led to increasing borrowing from the Central Bank. This trend caused an uncontrolled surge in liquidity and expanded the monetary base.
Many analysts believe that the root causes of this turmoil date back to the years preceding the military conflicts. Structural mismanagement wasted the country’s foreign exchange resources and severely weakened the economy’s buffering capacity. Consequently, the first sparks of tension ignited the currency crisis. A report by the Central Bank of Iran in June 2026 revealed that the country’s total liquidity crossed the threshold of 14.9 trillion tomans. This liquidity growth was the direct result of the government’s hidden budget deficit.
Disregarding the severity of the crisis, the Iranian regime continued to print unbacked money. The latest data published on the Central Bank of Iran website reported the monetary base growth rate at over 61.5%. This large figure represents a ticking time bomb at the heart of the country’s half-dead economy. Independent experts repeatedly warned officials about the consequences of these destructive policies. Nonetheless, the approach to economic management remained unchanged, making the path toward collapse smoother.
The Role of Executive Incompetence During Conflicts on the Foreign Exchange Market
A detailed examination shows that the recent war merely accelerated the collapse of the value of the rial. The ailing structure of the economy lacked the capacity to withstand new pressures even before the conflict. Through its incorrect decisions, the Iranian regime worsened the livelihood struggles of citizens during the crisis. Amid the military conflicts, the price of the dollar in the open market climbed daily without interruption. Meanwhile, government officials made contradictory statements regarding the country’s foreign exchange reserves. The Central Bank announced in late June 2026 that 4.5 billion dollars had been added to the foreign exchange reserves in recent months. It is worth noting that due to the dire state of foreign exchange reserves, the regime’s officials have avoided disclosing the absolute total figure of reserves for years, reporting only positive or negative changes. In its latest report, the International Monetary Fund estimated the Iranian regime’s “readily available” foreign exchange reserves for 2025 at 22.9 billion dollars. According to field reports from credible economic news agencies, the dollar rate experienced an unprecedented jump at the height of the conflicts. The capital market also suffered heavy and historic drops due to these insecurities, as evidenced by daily data from the Securities and Exchange Organization. Retail investors withdrew their money from the stock market to protect the value of their assets. The public rush to speculatively buy gold and foreign currency multiplied the pressure on the value of the rial. According to official currency transaction data on the Central Bank of Iran website, the supply of foreign exchange for importing essential goods was severely disrupted during the war. The acute shortage of foreign currency resources abruptly raised the prices of consumer goods. Mismanagement in the distribution of preferential currency created an environment for macro-rent-seeking by well-connected brokers.What Do Official Statistics Say About Inflation Rates and the Post-War Collapse?
In its latest official report in June 2026 on the national portal of the Statistical Centre of Iran, the institution revealed new dimensions of the crisis. The Consumer Price Index shows an unprecedented upward trend on an annual basis. Based on this data, the country’s annual inflation rate has reached a staggering 62%. This statistic indicates that the public’s living costs have increased by more than half compared to last year. Point-to-point inflation even surpassed the 88.6% threshold. The Central Bank’s analytical reports fully confirm these bitter economic realities. The freefall of the value of the rial effectively stripped private sector actors of any long-term planning capabilities. According to the periodic assessment by The Economist in April 2026, the country’s economic growth rate, excluding oil, dropped to negative 9.2%. This figure reflects a deep recession across the country’s industrial and manufacturing sectors. Domestic producers cannot afford raw materials due to the severe fluctuations in the exchange rate. The statistical database of the International Monetary Fund evaluated Iran’s financial outlook as highly bleak in its recent analysis. In its report for the first half of 2026, the IMF forecast Iran’s economic growth at negative 6.1 percent due to infrastructural and trade crises. This international institution considers structural budget deficits to be the main root of high inflation. The combination of these factors with the ruling establishment’s executive incompetence has shrunk the public’s dining tables to the smallest possible size. The plunge in the value of the national currency completely destroyed the purchasing power of workers and employees.The Drastic Drop in the Value of the Rial and the Shrinking Livelihoods of the People
The continuous drop in the value of the rial has directly targeted the financial capabilities of families across all provinces. Securing basic needs such as housing, healthcare, and food has become a daily struggle for a large segment of society. Statistical evidence cited by labor representative Hamid Haj-Esmaeili on portals linked to the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labour, and Social Welfare places the poverty line in the capital at an astonishing 60 million tomans. According to this data, a family of four needs an income above 60 million tomans just to survive. The minimum wage approved by the Supreme Labor Council does not cover even one-sixth of this amount. The deep chasm between incomes and expenditures accelerated the unfortunate slide of the middle class below the poverty line. Field reports indicate that the consumption of meat and dairy products among lower deciles fell by up to 45%. Malnutrition, particularly among children in underprivileged areas, has turned into a severe crisis. The phenomena of shared rentals and suburban slum expansion have risen sharply based on housing sector data from the Statistical Centre of Iran. Instead of solving the root causes of the problems, regime officials have resorted to distributing meager and ineffective cash subsidies. The real value of these subsidies vanishes within a few weeks due to high inflation. Independent economic experts believe that these temporary palliative measures only increase the volume of liquidity in the market. The ultimate result of this vicious cycle will be a new wave of price hikes in the coming months.The Collapse of the Value of the Rial and the Paralysis of Production and Foreign Trade
The drop in the value of the rial has completely paralyzed the supply chain of domestic manufacturing industries. A major share of factories relies heavily on imported raw materials to manufacture their products. The surge in the dollar’s price caused production costs in certain industries to skyrocket by up to 120%. In its quarterly report published on the Iran Chamber of Commerce website, the chamber announced that more than 40% of small manufacturing units have shut down. The remaining units operate at less than half of their actual capacity. Instability in government currency regulations also confronted non-oil exporters with severe challenges. Sudden directives from the Central Bank regarding the repatriation of export earnings completely destroyed export incentives. Due to extreme price volatility, Iranian merchants cannot sign long-term contracts with foreign partners. Consequently, Iran’s export markets in neighboring countries like Iraq and Afghanistan are gradually being lost to competitors. The Research Center of the Chamber of Commerce announced in July 2026 that the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) dropped sharply. This index, whose data is accessible on the Iran Chamber of Commerce portal, clearly demonstrates a severe recession in the industrial, service, and construction sectors. Capital flight from production toward non-productive markets has endangered the future of employment in the country. According to official data, the unemployment rate among university graduates has climbed above 39%.Crisis in the Banking System and Financial Imbalances of Government Organs
Under the impact of the collapsing value of the rial, the country’s banking system faces a hidden threat of bankruptcy. Severe banking imbalances are the direct result of government mandates forcing banks to extend loans to specific state-backed entities. An official report by the Majlis Research Center in May 2026 showed that commercial banks’ debt to the Central Bank increased. This debt grew by 48% compared to the previous year, turning into a massive crisis. The accumulated losses of state-owned and private banks have severely diminished their capacity to offer loans. Many of the country’s large financial institutions survive solely on direct, daily injections of money from the Central Bank. This situation translates into the second-by-second generation of inflation and a further erosion of public purchasing power. The country’s pension funds are also in a state of extreme financial imbalance. Due to its budget deficit, the government is unable to pay its financial shares to these supportive funds. The Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance pointed out this issue in a confidential report, aspects of which were leaked. According to this text, analyzed on the platform of the Majlis Research Center, more than 80% of the pension funds’ budget is supplied directly from the general public budget. This heavy reliance places a massive financial burden on the country’s administrative structure. The continuation of this trend poses a serious threat to the financial sustainability of the entire economic system.Social and Psychological Repercussions of Economic Collapse in Society
Sociologists warn about the dire consequences of expanding absolute poverty across various layers of society. Severe economic insecurity completely eradicates the motivation for entrepreneurship, innovation, and productive activities. When the value of the rial depreciates daily, the inclination toward speculative activities accelerates. Rather than entering the production sector, public capital is directed toward speculative markets for gold, foreign currency, and automobiles. This economic behavior is a direct result of psychological insecurity and a lack of trust in the country’s future. The migration rate of specialized professionals and physicians experienced a dramatic increase according to data released on the portal of the Iranian regime Medical Council. In just the first eight months of the Iranian year 2024, more than 4,500 doctors and medical staff left the country for developed nations. The sudden exit of this volume of human capital confronts the healthcare system with a crisis. The brain drain in engineering and information technology has also inflicted irreversible damage on the manufacturing infrastructure. Diminishing hope for the future among the younger generation has severely reduced marriage rates. Official statistics on the National Organization for Civil Registration website show that the marriage rate dropped by nearly 40% over the past five years. Conversely, divorce rates have increased due to livelihood problems and recurring psychological pressures. The regime’s mismanagement has severely weakened social foundations and family structures in Iran.End of New Year Holidays Marked by Continued Decline in the Value of the Iranian Rial
Future Outlook of Iran’s Economy and the Paths Ahead
International analysts believe that without fundamental changes in foreign policy, improving the situation remains impossible. The financial isolation of the Iranian regime and its inclusion on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) blacklist have blocked trade channels. Financial transaction costs for Iranian merchants have increased by 15% to 20% due to the reliance on intermediaries. These extra costs are ultimately extracted from the pockets of end consumers and ordinary citizens. An Institute of International Finance (IIF) report, key points of which were shared on the International Monetary Fund website, focused on the fact that the Iranian regime requires deep structural reforms—a prospect that seems like a mirage. These reforms include full independence for the Central Bank, removing mandatory price-fixing, and a genuine fight against systemic corruption. However, the current governance structure shows no willingness to execute these painful economic surgeries. The interests of powerful quasi-governmental entities, such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), the Mostazafan Foundation, and the “Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order” (EIKO), rely heavily on the continuation of this chaotic status quo and lack of financial transparency. Experts believe that continuing current policies will drive the country toward three-digit hyperinflation. Should this occur, the value of the rial will completely lose its functionality as a national currency. The experience of countries undergoing economic collapse shows that without political will from the Iranian regime, the downfall of public livelihoods will continue at a faster pace than before.Crisis Upon Crisis: A Chronic Breakdown
An analysis of economic trends demonstrates that the current crisis did not emerge overnight. The collapse of the value of the rial, runaway inflation, and the severe erosion of purchasing power are clear indicators of chronic mismanagement and the Iranian regime’s incompetence in handling crises. Recent military tensions merely acted as a catalyst, exposing the depth of structural damages. The Iranian regime shaped this reality by adopting flawed financial policies before the war, exhibiting a total lack of planning during the war, and abandoning market controls afterward. Official statistics from the Central Bank and the Statistical Centre of Iran bear witness to the fact that the public’s dining tables have fallen victim to the political decisions of the Iranian regime. The reality is that the livelihoods of society have been sacrificed for the regime’s deliberate policy failures, which have driven national resources to ruin.Continued Labor Protests: Telecommunications Retirees Rally in Various Iranian Cities
As labor protests continued across different parts of Iran, on Monday, August 3, telecommunications retirees in Bijar County and dismissed workers from the maintenance unit of Salman Farsi Petrochemical Company in Mahshahr held protest gatherings, demanding that their grievances be addressed.
In Bijar, a group of telecommunications retirees staged a protest over their living conditions, the management of the Telecommunication Company of Iran, and the performance of the company’s major shareholders. The protesters identified the Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order (EIKO), the IRGC Cooperative Foundation, and Mobin Trust Consortium as the principal shareholders of the telecommunications company and called for their livelihood and labor-related demands to be addressed.
Protests Expand Across Iranian Cities, From Retirees and Workers to Students and BakersAt the same time in Mahshahr, 52 dismissed workers from the maintenance unit of Salman Farsi Petrochemical Company gathered outside the governor’s office and the office of the local member of Majlis (parliament), demanding reinstatement and an end to their employment uncertainty. According to the workers, all of whom have more than five years of work experience, they have been out of work since March 2026, following the suspension of operations at the unit. They said that although other employees have returned to work, their contracts have not been renewed, and they have not been allowed to return to their jobs. The protesting workers also said that despite repeated follow-ups and several protest gatherings over recent months, they have received no response from the authorities. They are demanding immediate reinstatement, renewal of their contracts, and an end to job insecurity. Monday’s protests took place as labor demonstrations by retirees, workers, and other occupational groups have continued in recent weeks across various parts of the country, focusing on livelihood demands, job security, and protest to management practices.
Iran’s Economy in Critical Condition, Insider Warns
Hossein Raghfar, an economist close to the Iranian regime, described Iran’s economic situation as “very unfavorable” and warned that the continued policy of increasing the exchange rate could push the country’s economy toward hyperinflation.
Speaking on Saturday in an interview with the state-run ILNA news agency, Raghfar responded to recent remarks by Masoud Nili, an economist close to the Iranian regime, who said Iran is at the “station before hyperinflation.” Raghfar said the country’s economy has not yet entered the hyperinflation stage, but there are worrying signs that the crisis is intensifying.
Triple-Digit Inflation Pushes Iran’s Lower and Middle Classes to Breaking PointReferring to the sharp rise in market prices, he said many goods have become more than 100% more expensive over the past few months. However, from a scientific perspective, hyperinflation occurs when the monthly inflation rate reaches about 40% to 50%, a situation that, according to him, Iran’s economy has not yet reached. The university professor identified the government’s exchange-rate policies as one of the main factors worsening the economic crisis and stressed that if the continuous increase in the exchange rate persists, it could pave the way for Iran’s economy to enter the hyperinflation stage. Raghfar’s remarks come as the continuous increase in the prices of goods and services has placed growing pressure on citizens’ livelihoods and sharply reduced the purchasing power of a large share of households. At the same time, officials of the Iranian regime, instead of presenting an effective plan to curb inflation and stabilize the market, have primarily emphasized the need for the public to show “resilience” in the face of economic hardships. It should be recalled that Masoud Nili, a regime-affiliated economist and faculty member at the Sharif University of Technology’s School of Management and Economics, previously warned that Iran’s economy has entered what he described as the “station before hyperinflation.” He said the country’s economy has moved beyond chronic inflation and is now facing extremely high and severe inflation, a situation that, if left unchecked, could lead to hyperinflation. Speaking on Monday, July 20, 2026, at the conference titled “Iran Economy Outlook 2026,” Nili stressed that Iran’s economy now stands between chronic inflation and hyperinflation. According to him, the inflation the Iranian people are struggling with today is no longer ordinary or merely chronic inflation, but has entered a phase of extremely high inflation.
Trump: New round of talks with the Iranian regime to begin on Monday
U.S. President Donald Trump announced that a new round of negotiations between Tehran and Washington will begin on Monday. His remarks came hours after he announced the cancellation of planned military strikes against Iran.
Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday evening, Trump said that they don’t want to be attacked, and they were aware of the scope of the attack. We are now in talks, and negotiations begin Monday afternoon.
He also claimed that an agreement had been reached regarding the Strait of Hormuz and expressed hope that a deal on Iran’s nuclear program would also be achieved.
At the same time, reports indicate intensive consultations among the foreign ministers of Iran, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Qatar, and Jordan. The discussions appear to be centered on the negotiation process between Tehran and Washington.
Oil Market Reaction
Trump’s remarks about canceling the strikes and resuming negotiations triggered an immediate reaction in global markets. U.S. crude oil prices fell 5% to $80.79 per barrel, while Brent crude also declined 5% to trade at $83.87 per barrel.Araghchi: Negotiations with Oman are in the final stages
Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian regime’s foreign minister, announced that negotiations between Tehran and Muscat regarding the Strait of Hormuz are nearing completion and are in their final stages. At the beginning of the cabinet meeting, he presented a report on the latest status of the negotiations and said the talks had made significant progress. Meanwhile, Esmaeil Baghaei, spokesperson for the Iranian regime’s Foreign Ministry, explained that the negotiations between Iran and Oman are focused on establishing a designated corridor and route for ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. According to Baghaei, Tehran believes the southern route through the Strait of Hormuz, which lies in Omani waters, has contributed to regional insecurity and harmed Iran’s national interests, making it unacceptable to the Iranian regime. He added that the agreed route would be neither the current northern route nor the existing southern route, but rather a new route to be agreed upon by the two countries. Baghaei also stressed that this understanding is unrelated to whether the Strait of Hormuz remains open or closed. He said any potential closure of the waterway would result from what he called “America’s violation of its commitments and the imposition of a blockade,” and emphasized that the agreement with Oman is only one of the prerequisites for reopening the Strait of Hormuz, not a sufficient condition. According to the report, under the proposed agreement between Iran and Oman, ships would enter the Strait of Hormuz through a route controlled by Iran and exit through Omani waters. Trump had previously stated that, following requests from Iran and several countries in the region, he agreed to cancel the attack on Iran on the condition that the parties reach an agreement as quickly as possible. He also wrote on his social media platform that an initial agreement had been reached on a general framework, including the immediate, full, and complete reopening of the Strait of Hormuz.Three Political Prisoners Subjected to Enforced Disappearance in Evin Prison
Reports from Evin Prison indicate that on the morning of Saturday, August 1, prison guard forces raided Ward 7, assaulted three political prisoners—Amirhossein Moradi, Ehsan Rostami, and Afshin Heyratian—and forcibly removed them from the ward before transferring them to an undisclosed location. No information has yet been released regarding their physical condition or whereabouts.
According to informed sources, the operation took place at around 11:30 a.m. in the section housing political prisoners in Ward 7 of Evin Prison, located in Tehran. Prison guard officers entered the ward without providing any explanation or presenting a warrant and used force to separate the three political prisoners from the others.
Iran’s Regime Uses War to Legitimize the GallowsAccording to witnesses, the officers severely beat the three prisoners. During the assault, their clothes were torn, and visible injuries were observed on their bodies. Witnesses also reported that the atmosphere inside the ward was extremely tense throughout the operation.
