Trending 
Iran’s labour minister has announced an increase of more than 60 per cent in the country’s minimum wage, local media reported on Sunday, months after anti-government protests sparked by worsening economic conditions.
The country reviews its minimum wage annually to reflect inflation, which has surged under international sanctions in the months leading up to the ongoing tensions involving Israel and the United States.
According to a report by Tasnim News Agency quoting the labour minister, “with the government’s approval”, the monthly minimum wage will rise from 103 million rials to 166 million rials in the upcoming year of the Persian calendar, which begins in a few days.
The report also indicated that child support benefits would receive a similar increase.
Economic protests erupted in December last year, driven by rising living costs and the sharp depreciation of the national currency.
The demonstrations later expanded into a nationwide movement demanding an end to the country’s clerical leadership that has been in place since the Iranian Revolution.
Authorities responded with a crackdown on the protests, which rights groups say resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, prompting US President Donald Trump to threaten possible military intervention.
Trump’s stated objectives for launching the campaign against the Islamic Republic have since shifted, although he has repeatedly urged Iranians to seize the moment and rise up to take control of their country.
