Iran’s Supreme National Security Council held a meeting following a report from intelligence agencies with concerns over popular protests returning to the streets. Security agencies fear that the economic crisis, widespread unemployment, and rising prices will lead to protests. They also raised the alarm over the possibility of supporters of Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi taking to the streets.
Recent government actions have drastically increased unemployment, with the internet outage pushing the internet-dependent workforce to about 20 percent, security agencies warn. They also cautioned that two million more private sector employees will be unemployed by the end of spring, Iran International reported.
The report presented to the council described the Iranian economy as critical, Iran Intl wrote, arguing that Iran’s economy cannot withstand more than six to eight weeks of the US- imposed naval blockade, which has now been in place for two weeks.
Additionally, Iran International sources shared that the council discussed the closure of industries and production centers in the oil, petrochemical, and steel sectors, which is estimated to take years to rebuild.
What are the people going through? All Iran has is oil, and China is its main buyer. The U.S. believes it has them between a rock and a hard place:
The May 1st update from the Institute of the Study of War.
- US President Donald Trump stated that he is “not satisfied” with Iran’s latest proposal. Trump’s dissatisfaction with Iran’s latest proposal reflects continued Iranian inflexibility on key issues, such as the nuclear program and the Strait of Hormuz.
- Iran is exploiting the current ceasefire to try to reconstitute its missile and drone capabilities ahead of a potential resumption of conflict. Western media reported that Iran has made attempts to regain access to weapons and missile launchers that it hid underground or were buried under debris from US and Israeli airstrikes. Iran would likely use these launchers to restart its attack campaign against US interests, Israel, and other regional countries in the event of a resumption of conflict.
- Iranian media and officials are attempting to deflect responsibility for Iran’s dire economic conditions by attributing these conditions to US military and economic pressure. The US naval blockade and sanctions are certainly applying economic pressure on Iran, but the regime’s historical mismanagement of the economy, corruption, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)’s dominance over economic institutions have played a major role in deteriorating the Iranian economy.
61% of Americans call the war with Iran a mistake, per a new Washington Post–ABC–Ipsos poll. Disapproval has reached levels comparable to the Iraq War at its peak. pic.twitter.com/VjYMuKQk7B
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) May 1, 2026