Iran Unveils 60% Minimum Wage Surge Amid Inflation and Post-Protest Economic Strains
Tehran— Iran will raise its monthly minimum wage by more than 60% beginning with the new Persian calendar year, Labor Minister officials said, according to local media reports on Sunday, in a move aimed at offsetting soaring inflation and economic pressures intensified by international sanctions and regional conflict.
The government-approved measure will increase the monthly minimum wage from 103 million rials to 166 million rials, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, citing Iran’s labor minister. The adjustment will take effect in the upcoming Persian calendar year, which begins in the coming days.
Iran revises its minimum wage annually to reflect inflationary pressures, which have surged amid tightening international sanctions and economic disruption linked to tensions with Israel and the United States. The Iranian rial has sharply depreciated in recent months, with the currency trading at around 1.47 million rials to the U.S. dollar, according to the monitoring website Bonbast.
The wage increase comes as households across the country grapple with rising living costs and a steep fall in the value of the national currency. Iranian authorities said the new wage level was approved by the government following consultations over compensation adjustments tied to inflation.
Tasnim also reported that the government would implement a comparable increase in child support benefits as part of the broader wage revision package.
The announcement follows months of anti-government protests that began in December last year, initially triggered by public frustration over the high cost of living and the weakening currency.
Demonstrations quickly expanded into a broader nationwide movement calling for the end of Iran’s clerical leadership, which has governed the country since the 1979 Islamic revolution.
Authorities responded with a crackdown that rights groups say resulted in thousands of deaths. During the unrest, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that Washington could intervene militarily while urging Iranians to challenge the country’s leadership.
