Hengaw report on nationwide truck drivers’ strike across 130 cities in Iran  

Hengaw — Wednesday, May 28, 2025
 
Truck drivers and heavy vehicle operators initiated a widespread strike on Thursday, May 18, 2025, following calls by independent labor unions. The strike has now entered its seventh day, reaching an unprecedented scale across Iran.
 
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights has conducted a comprehensive analysis of the strike’s extent, based on field investigations, local sources, and verified data. By its seventh day, the strike had spread to at least 130 cities nationwide, representing one of the largest labor and protest movements in Iran’s transportation sector in recent decades. This report provides an in-depth examination of the drivers’ labor grievances, government responses, and associated human rights concerns.
 
Strike origin and expansion
 
The strike began in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas and swiftly expanded to central, northern, southern, western, and eastern regions. In major urban centers including Tehran, Isfahan, Sanandaj (Sna), Kermanshah (Kermashan), Shiraz, Mashhad, Tabriz, Ahvaz, and Zahedan, truck operations have largely ceased, with extensive reports and photographic evidence showing vehicles immobilized at terminals and along major roadways, accompanied by protest banners.
 
Social media platforms have played a critical role in mobilizing and coordinating participants, with extensive video documentation evidencing the organized and cohesive nature of the strike.
 
Drivers’ key demands and underlying issues
 
Legal and labor assessments indicate that truck drivers face numerous systemic challenges which the government has neglected or exacerbated. The principal demands include:
 
The opaque tripling of diesel fuel prices and a sudden reduction of subsidized fuel quotas from 3,000 liters to 500 liters without prior consultation or notice.
 
Substantial increases in the costs of vehicle parts and technical services, including tires and repairs.
 
A pronounced imbalance between freight tariffs and the actual operating costs incurred by drivers.
 
Excessive taxation, disproportionate fines, and pervasive corruption at inspection checkpoints.
 
The absence of an independent and effective labor union free from government control to advocate for drivers’ rights.
 
Persistent repression and intimidation of labor activists and a refusal by authorities to engage with legitimate demands.
 
 
Geographical scope and participation
 
The strike remains active simultaneously in over 130 cities, spanning southern ports to northern cities and extending across central, western, and eastern provinces. Provinces with significant documented participation include Fars, Isfahan, East Azerbaijan, West Azerbaijan (Urmia), Razavi Khorasan, Sistan and Baluchestan, Tehran, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Ilam, and Lorestan.
 
In border regions, the strike has severely disrupted truck and fuel tanker traffic, resulting in the partial closure of critical border crossings such as Bashmaq (Marivan), Parvizkhan (Qasr-e Shirin), and Tamarchin (Piranshahr), thereby producing broader regional economic and security implications.
 
Government response and repression
 
Rather than engaging in dialogue or addressing the grievances, Iranian authorities have responded with intensified repression, intimidation, and security crackdowns:
 
In Sanandaj, security forces deployed tear gas and pepper spray to disperse gatherings and detained multiple drivers. Moreover, intelligence operatives detained Sedigh Mohammadi in a public area.
 
In Dehgolan, intelligence agents arrested at least two protesting drivers.
 
In Islamabad-e Gharb, security forces forcibly detained Shahab Darabi for his support of the strike.
 
Reports of phone summons, threats, and arrests have emerged from Sirjan and Kermanshah.
 
In a statement, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced the arrest of individuals accused of “disrupting road security.”
 
 
Labor solidarity and broader support
 
The Union of Truck Drivers and Transport Workers across Iran issued a formal statement expressing unequivocal support for the strike and affirming its continuation until all demands are met. The union condemned the government’s repressive tactics and called for the immediate and unconditional release of detained members.
 
“Instead of responding to legitimate demands, the government has chosen a path of repression and intimidation. We call for the immediate and unconditional release of our detained colleagues,” read the statement.
 
Furthermore, solidarity demonstrations have been held by other professional groups, including bakers, educators, retired steel and mining workers, and employees of the Gilan tobacco complex. These actions reflect widespread public dissatisfaction with current economic policies, structural discrimination, and the absence of lawful mechanisms for peaceful protest.
 
Human rights perspective and call for accountability
 
The Hengaw Organization for Human Rights reiterates the fundamental rights to freedom of assembly, peaceful protest, and labor advocacy as enshrined in international human rights instruments. It condemns all forms of coercion, threats, arrests, and violence against protesters as serious violations of Iran’s international obligations.
 
Hengaw calls upon international human rights bodies and the global community to closely monitor the situation and hold the Iranian government accountable for respecting and protecting labor and human rights of the citizens.