Truckers’ protests in Iran grow and win support from prominent dissidents

In this photo taken by a person not employed by the Associated Press and obtained by the AP outside Iran, a university student attends a protest inside Tehran University after a smoke grenade was thrown by anti-riot Iranian police, in Tehran, Iran, Dec. 30, 2017. (AP Photo, File)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Truck drivers in Iran blocked roads and ports Wednesday as part of their strike protesting low salaries, high insurance rates, and a possible hike in fuel prices.

The strikes, which began last Thursday in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, one of the country’s main transportation and shipping hubs, have now spread across Iran. The protests are slowly gaining steam, supported by prominent dissident voices, and could morph into more serious protests against the government.

Last week, the Iranian government announced plans to increase the price of fuel for trucks from 4 cents per liter (15.14 cents per gallon) to nearly 50 cents per liter (about US$1.90 per gallon) in late June. With massive resources of oil and gas, Iran has some of the lowest fuel prices in the world. The average price for a gallon of gas in the United States on Wednesday was $3.16, according to AAA, a drivers’ assistance and advisory service.

Dissident Iranians expressed their support for the truckers. Film director Jafar Panahi, who last week won the Palme d’Or award at the Cannes Film Festival, encouraged the truck drivers to start a nationwide strike.

“The strike is a loud cry to the government: enough is enough! Stop the massive suppression and plundering before everything is lost and nothing remains for people,” he wrote on Instagram.

Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi, who was imprisoned on charges of collusion against state security and propaganda against Iran’s government, also expressed her support for the strike on X.

Videos circulating on social media showed lines of trucks parked on the sides of major roads. Iran said the plan is intended to prevent fuel smuggling into neighboring countries. Fuel in neighboring Pakistan costs more than a dollar per liter ($4 per gallon).

Many of Iran’s previous rounds of anti-government protests started out as economic protests over local issues, including demonstrations in 2017 and 2018. Those protests were met with a heavy reaction by the police and the Basij, the all-volunteer force of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.

In 2019, anger over the government eliminating the gasoline subsidy also sparked nation-wide protests. More than 1,000 people were arrested and the country temporarily shut down the internet. Protests also rocked the country in 2022 over the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died in Iranian security custody after morality police detained her for improperly wearing her headscarf, or hijab.

On Saturday, Jalal Mousavi, an official in the truckers’ union, said truckers are striking because they are struggling with the rising costs of fuel, spare parts and repairs.

The strike underscores the mounting economic pressures on Iran as it struggles to secure relief from crippling sanctions in the ongoing negotiations with the United States. Iran’s oil sector, the lifeblood of its economy, has been damaged by the impact of American sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear program, and it is one of the central issues under discussion in the Iran-U.S. negotiations.

On Wednesday, Fatemeh Mohajerani, the spokesperson of the government’s Cabinet, said lawmakers had discussed the strike in the Cabinet meeting and the administration will consider the truckers’ needs. State TV showed footage of routine activities in truck terminals and ports.

Associated Press writer Nasser Karimi contributed to this report from Tehran.

Melanie Lidman, The Associated Press