Iran’s nationwide truck drivers’ strike entered its ninth day on Friday, with widespread backing from labor unions, activists, and political heavyweights.
Authorities arrested demonstrators and major transportation routes remained almost unoccupied.
The Truck Drivers Union said the strike had spread to 130 locations, with 11 drivers jailed in Kermanshah province.
Heavy vehicle traffic was noticeably absent from main roadways in Tehran, Ahvaz, Qazvin, Mashhad, and Naein.
In solidarity of the truckers, almost 200 organisations released a statement urging “international boycotts of Iran similar to those imposed on apartheid South Africa.”
The strike was also supported by the teachers’ unions in Islamabad-e-Gharb and Fars province.
National strikes are “the only available solution” to workers’ issues, according to eleven labor organisations, including retired workers’ unions and oil workers’ councils.
The Iran Labor Confederation, based abroad, urged the International Labour Organization to expel Iranian representatives and demanded the release of imprisoned labor activists.
The strikes, initially triggered by increases in insurance premiums and fuel prices, have since evolved into a broader protest against the government’s economic policies.
The Truck Drivers Union said that protests will continue until all demands are met.
