Iran: Bakers Protest in Multiple Cities; Security Forces Assault Demonstrators in Mashhad with Tear Gas and Batons

On the morning of Saturday, May 24, 2025, bakers in several Iranian cities, including Mashhad, Kerman, Shahin Shahr, and Borujerd, staged protests against persistent power outages, the suspension of bread subsidies, rising production costs, reduced flour quotas, and the soaring prices of raw materials.
In Mashhad, a significant number of bakers initially gathered before the Bakers’ Union, later marching towards the Khorasan Razavi Governor’s Office. They chanted slogans such as, “Enough with promises, our tables are empty.” In response, regime authorities deployed police forces, who attacked the protesters with batons and tear gas. The demonstrators, in turn, chanted “Shameless! Shameless!”
Bakers in Mashhad declared: “We will no longer allow our rightful voices to be silenced by violence. Until our rights are fulfilled, we will not stop protesting and raising our voices. We were beaten with batons, we were tear-gassed, but we did not back down… We will continue protesting because we have nothing left to lose.”
Similar protests were reported in other cities: in Kerman, bakers assembled before the Governor’s Office, while in Shahin Shahr and Borujerd, protests took place in front of their respective Bakers’ Union buildings.
Confessing the dire situation, Ahmad Fatemi, a member of the regime’s parliament, stated a few days earlier, on May 21, 2025, according to the ISNA News Agency: “Today, the problems of bakeries have turned into a super-challenge… Why is there no accountability? I warn you regarding the repeated power outages and widespread blackouts; this issue has worn out the people. It has also devastated production units and industrial owners.”
Further underscoring the crisis, on May 18, 2025, the daily Asr-e Iran wrote: “Power outages have ruined bakers’ livelihoods… Bakers are forced to discard souring dough, they are accused of selling flour, and their quotas are cut.” The subsequent day, the daily Etemad reported: “Power outages have led to a peak in public dissatisfaction and eroded trust in the government. In most cities, bakers have taken to the streets in protest.”
The state-affiliated daily Setareh Sobh, also on May 18, detailed the systemic issues: “The imbalance in electricity supply is a problem that has diminished quality of life and paralyzed the economy and businesses. In 2023, we had an increase in demand of 4,006 megawatts, while our production capacity rose by only 1,221 megawatts. Less than one-third of the demand was met, and the downward trend of the crisis has not been reversed. We are facing a 30,000-megawatt imbalance. The blackout season for industries has begun in the spring, and massive outages are expected in summer. The root of the problem lies in the presence of semi-governmental and foundation entities, such as the Martyrs Foundation, which control large power plants without possessing the necessary expertise or efficiency. This has led to the catastrophic reality that, out of a 95,000-megawatt capacity, only 62,000 megawatts of actual electricity are being produced.”
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran, commended the protesting bakers across various cities, stating: “It is a testament to the vileness of Khamenei and his regime that they respond to the hardworking and honorable bakers with assaults by repressive police forces, tear gas, and pepper spray. The protesting bakers have risen alongside workers, truck drivers, farmers, teachers, and retirees to claim their rightful entitlements. Sovereignty is the most fundamental right, usurped by the criminal clerics, and the people and the Iranian Resistance will not rest until they reclaim it.”
Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
24 May 2025