The British government said this week it had no evidence of Iranian support for the Polisario Front, the Algeria-backed armed movement seeking independence for Western Sahara from Morocco despite Rabat's assertions of Tehran's backing.
Foreign Office Minister of State for International Development and Africa Baroness Chapman told the House of Lords on Monday that “the UK has not seen evidence of Iranian support for the Polisario Front."
"However, we continue to monitor Iranian activity in the region," said Chapman, adding that Britain "has long condemned Iran’s destabilizing provision of political, military and financial support to its proxies and partners,” and would continue working with allies to counter Tehran.
Morocco, a Western-aligned monarchy on Europe's southern flank, joined in normalization accords with Israel during US President Donald Trump's first term.
It has occupied the territory of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony, for decades and fought Algerian-backed insurgents whom it accuses of receiving arms and training from Tehran.
Morocco cut diplomatic ties with Iran in 2018 over the allegations, which Tehran denies.
Lord Godson, a conservative peer who had asked Labour's Baroness Chapman about Polisario in the debate on Monday, appeared unconvinced.
"I thank the Minister for her answer. However, there is much open-source evidence of a mutual admiration society between the present Iranian regime, the IRGC and the Polisario on the other side," he replied, asking the government to further investigate.
A policy brief from the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) has argued that Tehran’s reach in North Africa has quietly expanded through proxy networks extending from Lebanon to Algeria.
The report says Hezbollah has trained Polisario fighters in Syria, some of whom later fought alongside pro-Assad forces.
It also cites past Moroccan claims that Tehran sent missiles to the Polisario via Hezbollah operatives working out of Iran’s embassy in Algiers—accusations that led
Iran has for decades sought expanded influence in the Middle East by supporting armed groups at odds with established US-backed authorities.
Demonstrations were reported in cities including Zanjan, Tabriz, Tehran, Esfahan, Gilan and Fars, with participants chanting slogans that reflected both economic hardship and political frustration, lapse in their pay and benefits.
In Zanjan and Tabriz, retirees gathered outside government buildings, chanting: “People's rights must be settled,” and “Yesterday's warriors are today's claimants. Yesterday's fighters are today's rights-seekers.”
The term “warriors” refers to veterans of the eight-year Iran-Iraq war, many of whom now face financial insecurity.
Iran’s Intelligence Ministry issued a confidential warning in August, anticipating serious fallout from the potential return of UN sanctions under the snapback mechanism.
In Tehran and Esfahan, protesters voiced anger at financial mismanagement, shouting: “The major shareholder devoured our rights,” and “Don't delay—settle our dues today.”
Some chants directly challenged official narratives, with demonstrators declaring: “Our enemy is right here; they lie that it's America.”
In Gilan and Fars provinces, retirees accused both parliament and the government of deceiving the public. “Parliament and government both lie to the nation,” one group chanted, while another called out: “Cry out against this endless injustice!”
Price hike on rise
The protests come amid a sharp rise in consumer prices following the reactivation of UN sanctions by European powers last month. Basic goods have become increasingly unaffordable for many Iranians, particularly those on fixed incomes.
A grocer in Tehran shared a video showing his dwindling stock of rice, lamenting the price rise: “Top-grade Pakistani rice was 14.5 million rials ($13) before. A month later, it hit 21 million rials ($19). How can a head of a family with monthly income of 20 million rials ($18) could afford just for rice?”
Iran’s minimum monthly wage for 2025 stands at 104 million rials ($96), leaving many unable to cope with the rising cost of living.
Another woman posted a video comparing rice prices year-over-year: “This rice cost 11 million rials ($10) last year. Now it’s 33 million rials ($30). Khamenei, for 46 years you chased missiles, war, death to this and that, conquering this and that peak. Today, every calamity you inflicted is boomeranging on you.”
In another clip, a woman displayed two plastic bags of fruit—bananas, oranges, apples, and grapes—costing 20 million rials ($18). She narrated a comparison during the video. “In 1977, a Mercedes Benz coupe was 4 million rials (equal to $3 now). Now I pay this amount for fruit that vanishes in two days.”
A man driving through Tehran recorded a video responding to Interior Ministry claims that there has been no “visible shock” to the economy due to reimposition of UN sanctions.
“Want to see shock? Check the commodity basket. You're unfit to run the country. You must go. Islamic Republic corruption must end so someone honorable can govern.”
Meanwhile, an Iranian health official warned last week that about 120,000 Iranians die each year from nutrition-related causes, as rising food prices and declining consumption of staples such as dairy, meat, fruits and vegetables deepen the country’s public health crisis.
