For decades, the Islamic Republic has tried to present cheap gasoline, subsidies and economic promises as evidence that it stands with the people of Iran. But today, an increasing number of Iranians are asking a much bigger question:
What is the price of our freedom?
For many Iranians, the answer is simple: they are tired of living under a system that has taken away their economic security, their social freedoms, their dignity and their hope for the future.
Iran is facing an enormous economic crisis. Inflation, declining purchasing power and rising food prices have placed extraordinary pressure on ordinary families. Even gasoline, once heavily subsidised has become another symbol of an economy that can no longer sustain itself. Recent fuel-price increases have already created anxiety, while the government continues to struggle with shortages and rising demand.
But the issue is not simply the price of gasoline.
The issue is the price Iranians have already paid for this regime.
They have paid with their savings.
They have paid with their opportunities.
They have paid with their children’s futures.
They have paid with the freedom to speak, protest and live normally.
And far too many have paid with their lives.
This is why some Iranians are increasingly saying something that may sound shocking to the outside world:
“If the price of gasoline has to rise, then let it rise. Just let this regime fall.”
This statement is not necessarily about wanting poverty or higher living costs. It is about recognising that cheap gasoline means very little when the entire country is struggling under economic mismanagement, corruption, repression and isolation.
A cheaper litre of petrol cannot compensate a young Iranian for a stolen future.
It cannot give a family back a loved one who was killed for protesting.
It cannot restore purchasing power.
It cannot create political freedom.
And it cannot rebuild the dignity of a nation.
Recent polling illustrates the depth of this frustration. GAMAAN’s 2026 survey found that around 76% of respondents identified high prices, inflation and economic pressure as their most important concern, while around 60% identified the continuation of the current regime and repression of dissent as a major concern. The same survey found that only around 13% preferred the Islamic Republic as their political system.
For many Iranians, therefore, the real demand is much larger than cheaper fuel.
It is a free Iran.
A country where economic policy serves its citizens rather than protecting an entrenched political establishment.
A country where Iran’s enormous natural resources are invested in its own people.
A country where young people can build careers instead of dreaming about leaving.
A country where women can live freely.
A country where people can speak without fear.
A country where the government is accountable to the people.
And above all, a country where the Iranian people, not an unelected religious establishment, decide their own future.
The Iranian people should not have to choose between affordable gasoline and freedom.
They deserve both.
But if the choice forced upon them is between a few litres of cheap petrol and the possibility of finally rebuilding their country, many are making their priorities clear:
Freedom is worth more.
Dignity is worth more.
Iran’s future is worth more.
The Iranian people have endured enough.
The question is no longer whether they can tolerate another price increase.
The question is how much longer the Islamic Republic can expect a nation that has already sacrificed so much to accept the same system.
Iran deserves a future beyond the Islamic Republic.
Long live Iran.
Javid Shah 👑
Jasmine Javani