Widespread Public Support, Regime Threats, and Hollow Promises
Introduction
In Spring 2025, an unprecedented strike was launched by Iranian truck drivers in response to years of economic collapse, systemic mismanagement, and the persistent violation of their labor rights. The nationwide strike, which began on 21 May 2025, has since spread to 152 cities across all 30 provinces.
Truck Drivers: The Forgotten Backbone of Iran’s Economy
Road freight transport is the lifeline of Iran’s economy, handling over 99% of the country’s essential goods. The sector includes over 550,000 drivers and 433,000 active trucks, 93% of which are owner-operated. This decentralized structure has turned the truckers’ strike into a powerful tool for civil protest. The estimated value of the freight fleet runs into tens of billions of dollars, and the industry facilitates billions of tomans in goods transactions annually. As a result, the truckers’ strike is not merely an economic disruption—it is now viewed by the regime as a major “security-economic” challenge.
Root Causes of the Strike: Poverty, Injustice, and Structural Mismanagement
- Skyrocketing Operational Costs:
- Diesel fuel has risen from 600 tomans to over 15,000 tomans per liter; the tiered pricing system has slashed fuel quotas from 2,000 liters to merely 100–200 liters.
- The price of a pair of domestic truck tires has jumped from 17 million tomans in 2023 to 35 million in 2025.
- Base insurance premiums have surged from 5 million tomans (2022) to 12–15 million in 2025—without proper healthcare or retirement benefits.
- Stagnant Wages and Delayed Payments:
- Freight rates have increased by only 10–15%, while official inflation exceeds 45%, and real inflation for drivers is significantly higher.
- In some regions, payments to drivers have been delayed for up to 90 days.
- Insecurity and Unfair Resource Distribution:
- In the first five months of 2025, over 120 cases of attacks, theft, and life-threatening incidents against drivers were reported.
- Middlemen at loading terminals take up to 30% of shipping fees, drastically reducing actual driver income.
- Bleak National Economic Indicators:
- The minimum wage in 2025 covers only 52% of a household’s basic needs.
- According to the Social Security Organization, 45,462 workers did not receive their wages in May 2025.
Nationwide Resistance Map: May–June 2025
The strike began on 11 May 2025 and continues through 31 May, encompassing over 152 cities across all provinces.
- Key Routes Blocked: Aligudarz–Isfahan, Darab–Fasa, Dehgolan, Saveh, Shiraz, Kermanshah, Bandar Lengeh, Mehran, Rasht
- Forms of Protest: Massive loading halts, trucks shut down on roadsides, banners reading “Our trucks are silent in mourning for livelihood”
- Broader Labor Support: Simultaneous strikes by retired pensioners, oil industry workers, and local protests in Ahvaz, Hoveyzeh, and Kerman
Dual Approach by the Regime: Empty Promises and Escalating Repression
The ruling regime has attempted to quell the strike through a mix of threats and shallow assurances.
- Deputy Minister of Roads and Urban Development, Mehran Ghorbani, claimed that “all demands will be addressed within a month.” Truckers have rejected verbal, unenforceable promises.
- On 30 May, MP Gholamreza Dehghan admitted in parliament that “drivers’ rights have been ignored for years.”
- In Yazd Province, a banner posted at the terminal warned drivers: “If you refuse to load goods, you will be denied all legal benefits.”
Simultaneously, repressive forces have arrested truckers in Khuzestan, Gilan, Hamedan, Fars, and Kurdistan provinces for filming and reporting on the strike.
- On 29 May, the IRGC Intelligence Unit in Khuzestan announced the arrest of several individuals for allegedly sharing videos of the strike with “enemy media.”
- Arrested drivers have reportedly been subjected to pressure and torture to obtain forced confessions.
Unified Response: A Declaration by the Truckers’ Union
“In the name of justice, in the name of the road, in the name of the endless pain of wheels that will not be silenced… We declare that these acts of repression will not weaken our resolve—they strengthen it. We demand the unconditional and immediate release of all detained colleagues. Repression, arrests, and threats are not answers to our legitimate demands; they are signs of desperation in the face of our just movement. We will not relent until we achieve fair wages, proper insurance, road safety, and human dignity. This is our path. This is our voice. And this solidarity is unbreakable.”
—National Union of Iranian Truck Drivers – 27 May 2025
The Hammer of Repression: Arrests, Threats, and Forced Confessions
At least 20 truckers and supporters have been arrested. Key cases include:
- Alireza Faghfouri (Reza Shabzadeh) – Behbahan – abducted at night, no news of his condition
- Shahab Darabi – Islamabad Gharb – disappeared after arrest
- Borhan Ahmadi – Sanandaj – arrested by plainclothes forces, forced to confess
- Kaveh Moradian & Rezgar Moradi – Sanandaj – transferred to central prison
- Sediq Mohammadi – Sanandaj – assaulted during arrest
- Zanko Rostami & Hamed – Dehgolan – detained by security agents
- Use of pepper spray during raids in Sanandaj
- Broadcast of coerced confessions on state TV without legal representation
- Some detainees reportedly face charges of “waging war against God” and “corruption on Earth”—charges punishable by death
Systematic Human Rights Violations
- Article 9 ICCPR: Prohibits arbitrary arrest and detention
- Article 14 ICCPR: Guarantees fair trial and prohibits torture
- Article 19 ICCPR: Ensures freedom of expression
- Article 21 ICCPR: Protects peaceful assembly
- ILO Conventions 87 & 98: Protect freedom of association and collective bargaining (not ratified by Iran)
Widespread Solidarity with the Truckers’ Movement
The brutal repression of truckers has triggered significant domestic and international outcry.
- On the ninth day of the strike, some bus drivers joined the protests.
- Teachers, retirees, nurses, oil workers, human rights activists, merchants, and students in cities like Tehran, Kermanshah, and Bushehr have publicly supported the truckers.
Call to Global Action: Accountability for Labor Repression
We urge international bodies to:
- Demand the immediate and unconditional release of all detained drivers
- Defend the rights to unionization, peaceful protest, and job security
- Hold accountable those responsible for repression using international legal mechanisms
Conclusion
The Iranian truck drivers’ strike is not just a reaction to rising fuel prices or shrinking subsidies—it is the cry of a people pushed to the brink by decades of economic injustice, corruption, and state violence. Rather than address the crisis, the ruling regime has resorted to suppression. Yet the scale of the protests, the solidarity among various sectors, and growing international support mark a new chapter in Iran’s civil resistance.
