The truckers protests and strike continued in more than 310 cities in 31 provinces across Iran for the 18th consecutive day on Wednesday despite the arrest of a large number of them, as the truck drivers are demanding their fundamental rights and paychecks that have been plundered by the officials of the mullahs’ regime.
The protesting truckers, numbering hundreds of thousands, are demanding an increase in their paychecks, providing spare parts and tires at reasonable prices, receiving their due insurance pensions, a decrease in tariffs imposed on transportation companies, and the authorities to take action against corrupt police officers.
These brave drivers are facing enormous obstacles in their effort to continue their protest movement. On September 27th, Abbas Jafari Dowlat Abadi, the Iranian regime’s attorney general, threatened to take legal action against Iran’s protesting truck drivers and literally pave the path for their execution, while a large number of drivers have been arrested for charges such as “disrupting the flow of transportation and provoking drivers to strike.”
The bogus allegations raised against Iran’s drivers by the so-called judiciary include “theft on roads” and “corruption on earth,” both punishable by death. Ever since the first day of its rule back in 1979, the Iranian regime has resorted to such threats aiming to eliminate its opponents.
In the face of clients demanding their savings returned from state-controlled credit firms, truck drivers’ strikes and other sectors of society, the ruling regime has neither the ability nor the will to provide for the demands raised in these protests. Reports indicate up to 280 protesting truck drivers have been arrested in the past 18 days.
This new round of the truckers’ strike, beginning on September 23rd, continues to this day. Reports show 320 cities have joined the protest movement, including major cities such as Tehran, Isfahan, Tabriz, Karaj, Najaf Abad, Dezful, Ahvaz, Shadegan, Bandar Mahshahr, Shaheen Shahr, Urmia, Bagheshad Lenjan in Isfahan, Zahedan, Shiraz, Sirjan, Saveh, Zarand and Bandar Abbas,
The protesting drivers are showing a strong will to continue their strike, despite all the obstacles and costs. They’re facing extreme punishments based on the regime’s ridiculous laws, in addition to the fact that the drivers and their families have no other source of income. Despite all this, these brave drivers know that the road ahead will only be paved through their strong will to continue protesting and not succumbing to the harsh conditions imposed by the ruling regime, alongside the authorities’ threats.
This new round of protests and strikes by Iran’s truckers proves yet again that this regime can be brought to its knees and overthrown.
Adding to the truckers’ momentum, store owners and bazaar merchants across the country launched a strike on Monday, October 8th. This new protest came based on a previously made call for shops to close on this day.
Around 50 cities, including Tehran, Ilam, Yazd, Gohardasht, Qazvin, Varamin, Javanrud, Mahabad, Qom, Maragheh, Abhar, Mobarakeh, Saravan, Karaj, Shahriar, Shahreza, Rasht and dozens of others were witness to this sweeping movement.
The store owners were protesting skyrocketing prices and recession in the country’s markets. This shows that the nationwide truckers’ strike has the potential of bringing other branches of society into this growing and powerful movement.
