Workers' protests had increased over the past year as the result of a deterioration in living conditions caused by the re-imposition of US sanctions against Iran during the administration of Donald Trump and the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.
[12] After the Iranian government ended subsidies for imported wheat, the price of flour soared by around 500%,[13] exacerbating current inflation, which hovered around 50%.
[16] In the summer of 2021, widespread demonstrations in Khuzestan and elsewhere in Southern Iran broke out as a result of government rationing of water.
[24] The Central Bank of the Islamic Republic of Iran began direct payments in the form of cash subsidies to Iran's public instead, with the government deploying an electronic coupon system as a form of price control to prevent price gouging in place of the import subsidies.
Iranian security forces allegedly used live ammunition to disperse protestors in the Abuzar area, and looting of grain stores occurred in the city of Izeh.
In several videos posted to social media, riot police reportedly used tear gas and live ammunition on many occasions.
The People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran claimed that Iranian security forces used live ammunition against demonstrators in the city of Andimeshk.