Report on Social Unrest in Iran and its Correlation with Sustainable Development Goal Failures

This report analyzes the widespread social protests across Iran from January to May 2025. The unrest, driven by severe shortages of essential resources and systemic economic mismanagement, highlights a profound failure by the state to meet its obligations under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

1. Systemic Governance Failures and Contradiction of SDG 16

The primary driver of the protests is a crisis of governance, directly contravening the principles of SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). The regime’s structure perpetuates corruption, inequality, and repression, undermining any prospect of sustainable development.

1.1. Institutional Corruption and Economic Misappropriation

• State and public assets are dominated by entities controlled by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Supreme Leader, which control over half of Iran’s GDP. This stifles legitimate economic activity, violating the principles of inclusive institutions under SDG 16.
• National wealth is systematically plundered through corruption, with notable examples including the $3.7 billion Debsh Tea embezzlement. This directly undermines SDG 1 (No Poverty) by diverting resources from public welfare.
• Protesters’ chants, such as “They’ve stolen the oil fund and left us destitute!”, reflect a public awareness of this systemic theft.

1.2. Misallocation of National Resources

The regime prioritizes military and ideological spending over domestic needs, further violating development goals.

1. An estimated $2 trillion has been spent on the nuclear program, while billions are annually funneled to foreign proxies like Hezbollah. This resource diversion cripples investment in critical infrastructure necessary for SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).
2. Vast resources are consumed by domestic security forces to suppress dissent, representing a direct assault on the justice and peace targets of SDG 16.

2. Sectoral Crises and Failure to Achieve Core SDGs

The protests are direct reactions to the collapse of basic services, demonstrating failures across multiple SDGs.

2.1. The Electricity Crisis: A Violation of SDG 7

A nationwide electricity crisis has left over 70% of the country with prolonged blackouts, a clear failure to provide SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy). The consequences impact numerous other goals:

• SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): Daily economic losses reached approximately $1.96 billion, with industrial zones halting production and small businesses, such as bakeries, facing ruin.
• SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being): Hospitals and essential services have been forced to shut down, endangering public health.
• SDG 4 (Quality Education): Schools and universities have been disrupted, impeding access to education.
• The crisis is exacerbated by the diversion of power to IRGC-linked cryptocurrency mining operations, prioritizing elite enrichment over public access to energy.

2.2. Water Scarcity: A Failure of SDG 6

Severe water shortages, compounded by power outages disabling pumping stations, represent a critical failure in achieving SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation).

• SDG 2 (Zero Hunger): Farmers face catastrophic losses due to the shutdown of agricultural wells, with water allegedly diverted to IRGC-controlled industrial projects. This directly impacts food production and security.
• SDG 5 (Gender Equality): Women and children bear a disproportionate burden, queuing for hours to collect water and often facing violence from security forces.
• SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities): Cities like Shiraz and Ahvaz face a potential “total collapse” of water supplies, rendering communities uninhabitable.

2.3. Economic Collapse and Labor Protests: Undermining SDG 1 and SDG 8

Protests by various labor sectors highlight the state’s failure to ensure SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

1. Bakers: Protests erupted over power cuts ruining dough, hyperinflation, and subsidy cuts, threatening food security and local economies, which are central to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger).
2. Truck Drivers: A nationwide strike across 155 cities paralyzed the supply chain, with drivers demanding fair tariffs and safe working conditions in line with SDG 8. The state’s response has been repression rather than addressing legitimate grievances.
3. Retirees: Weekly protests in over 20 cities demand pensions that have been rendered worthless by inflation and embezzlement, pushing the elderly into poverty in direct violation of SDG 1.
4. Farmers and Workers: Protests against water theft, unsafe working conditions (with 10,000 annual workplace deaths reported), and unpaid wages underscore a systemic failure to protect labor rights and ensure a basic standard of living.

2.4. Youth and Education: A Crisis of SDG 4

University students have joined the protests, rejecting a system that fails to provide SDG 4 (Quality Education) and future opportunities.

• Disruptions from power and water shortages have severely impacted learning environments.
• Students protest systemic repression and the lack of a future, with slogans like “The student will die but will not accept humiliation!” reflecting a demand for dignity and rights under SDG 16.

3. Civil Society Response and State Repression

The protests demonstrate a unified, cross-sectoral demand for systemic change. Organized networks, such as the Resistance Units, have played a role in coordinating and sustaining these movements, reflecting a grassroots push for accountability aligned with the spirit of SDG 16. The regime’s response has consisted of denial, violence, and mass arrests, further violating principles of justice and human rights and demonstrating an unwillingness to engage with the SDGs.

4. Conclusion

The 2025 protests in Iran are a direct manifestation of the state’s comprehensive failure to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. Systemic corruption, resource misallocation, and the prioritization of ideological and military objectives over public welfare have led to the collapse of essential services related to energy (SDG 7), water (SDG 6), food security (SDG 2), and economic stability (SDG 1, SDG 8). The popular uprisings represent a collective demand for a new governance model based on justice, accountability, and sustainable development, as envisioned in SDG 16. The evidence suggests that achieving the SDGs in Iran is impossible without fundamental political and institutional change.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 1: No Poverty
   • The article repeatedly highlights “crushing economic hardship,” “crippling poverty,” and a nation “pushed to the edge by economic collapse.” It describes retirees left “destitute” and citizens rummaging through bins, directly connecting the protests to the failure to eradicate poverty.
2. SDG 2: Zero Hunger
   • The “Bakers’ Revolt” section details protests against conditions that threaten food security. Chants like “our tables are empty” and bakers dumping spoiled dough due to power cuts indicate a crisis in accessing basic food staples like bread.
3. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
   • A central theme of the article is the “acute water shortages.” It describes a “thirsty nation” with disabled water pumping stations, communities dependent on expensive water tankers, women-led protests for water access, and farmers protesting the shutdown of agricultural wells.
4. SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
   • The article’s title “No Light” and the section “The Electricity Crisis” focus on the failure to provide reliable energy. It describes “crippling power outages,” “unannounced blackouts” affecting over 70% of the country, and the diversion of electricity to IRGC-linked cryptocurrency mining, leaving the public in darkness.
5. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
   • The protests involve numerous labor groups, including truck drivers striking for fair tariffs, bakers facing bankruptcy, unpaid sanitation workers, and industrial workers whose machinery is damaged. The article also cites a shocking figure of 10,000 annual workplace deaths, pointing to a lack of decent and safe work environments.
6. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
   • The article points to a systemic failure of national infrastructure. It mentions a “crumbling grid” requiring billions for repair, a lack of new investment in power infrastructure, and a paralyzed road transport system due to the truckers’ strike, all of which hinder economic activity and well-being.
7. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities
   • A major issue discussed is the vast inequality between the ruling elite and the general population. The article states that the IRGC and the Supreme Leader’s networks “control more than half of Iran’s GDP,” funneling wealth to a loyal elite while the rest of the nation suffers from poverty and lack of basic services.
8. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
   • The article describes how the lack of basic services has made urban living unsustainable. It mentions cities being plunged “into chaos” and darkness, with schools, hospitals, and banks forced to shut down due to power and water cuts, directly impacting the safety and resilience of communities.
9. SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions
   • This goal is central to the article’s narrative of a failed state. It details “systemic corruption,” “institutional decay,” embezzlement scandals, and a regime that responds to protests with “escalating violence,” repression, arrests, and executions rather than accountability. The protests are a demand for an end to this injustice and the establishment of accountable institutions.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Under SDG 1 (No Poverty)
   • Target 1.4: Ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services. The article shows a complete failure to meet this target, as the protests are driven by a lack of access to water, electricity, and economic resources like pensions.
2. Under SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation)
   • Target 6.1: By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all. The article describes communities in Bushehr and Chabahar without access to water, forced to rely on expensive tankers, directly contradicting this target.
   • Target 6.4: By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity. The drying of the Zayandeh Rud river and protests by farmers over well shutdowns indicate unsustainable water management and failure to address scarcity.
3. Under SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy)
   • Target 7.1: By 2030, ensure universal access to affordable, reliable and modern energy services. The description of “unannounced blackouts” affecting “over 70% of the country” demonstrates a clear failure to provide reliable energy access.
4. Under SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth)
   • Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men. The protests by unpaid sanitation workers and truck drivers striking for fair tariffs and working conditions highlight the lack of decent work.
   • Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers. The report that “10,000 workers die annually due to workplace accidents” is a stark indicator of the failure to ensure safe working environments.
5. Under SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure)
   • Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure… to support economic development and human well-being. The article’s mention of a “crumbling grid,” a “20,000-megawatt shortfall,” and paralyzed road transport directly points to the lack of reliable and resilient infrastructure.
6. Under SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions)
   • Target 16.5: Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms. The article provides numerous examples of systemic corruption, including multi-billion dollar embezzlement scandals (Debsh Tea, Bank Melli) and the IRGC’s economic stranglehold.
   • Target 16.6: Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels. The entire premise of the protests is a response to the lack of accountability and transparency from the regime, which meets grievances with “denial, empty promises, [and] escalating violence.”
   • Target 16.10: Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms. The regime’s response of arresting protesters (truck drivers, students), using tear gas, and carrying out executions is a direct violation of fundamental freedoms of assembly and expression.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Quantitative Indicators:
  • Energy Access: “Over 70% of the country was grappling with unannounced blackouts.”
  • Energy Infrastructure Deficit: A “20,000-megawatt shortfall” in electricity supply.
  • Cost of Infrastructure Failure: Daily economic losses from blackouts reached “80 trillion rials (approximately $1.96 billion)”; “$25.2 billion to repair the crumbling grid.”
  • Workplace Safety: “10,000 workers die annually due to workplace accidents.”
  • Scale of Corruption: Specific embezzlement scandals are cited, such as the “$3.7 billion” Debsh Tea case and a “$2.6 billion” Bank Melli fraud.
  • Economic Hardship: “Inflation remains above 40%.”
  • Scale of Repression: The regime “arrested more than 90,000 students” during past protests, and there were “over 160 reported [executions] in May alone.”
  • Scope of Protests: The truck drivers’ strike spread to “155 cities in all 31 provinces.”
• Qualitative Indicators:
  • Access to Basic Services: Descriptions of people queuing for water, using costly tankers, and bakers carrying water in buckets.
  • Food Security: Reports of bakers dumping spoiled dough due to power cuts and protest chants about “empty tables.”
  • State of Infrastructure: The Zayandeh Rud riverbed is described as “dry,” symbolizing mismanagement.
  • Institutional Response: The regime’s response is characterized by violence (tear gas, beatings, arrests) and denial, rather than addressing public grievances.
  • Public Sentiment: Protest slogans like “The enemy is right here, they lie when they say it’s America” and “Bread, dignity, freedom!” indicate a complete loss of faith in the ruling institutions.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: ncr-iran.org