Sunday, June 1, 2025 — Iran’s nationwide truck drivers’ strike has entered its eleventh consecutive day, spreading to over 155 cities despite regime threats, arrests, and intimidation. Drivers are protesting for their most basic rights, with reports confirming the arrest of at least 40 drivers so far.
On the tenth day of the strike, the movement reached new heights, signaling a growing wave of resistance among Iran’s working class. From Isfahan to Kermanshah, Ahvaz, Sanandaj, Shiraz, Yasuj, Bandar Abbas, and many more, truck drivers have refused to load or operate their vehicles. Their act of defiance has turned highways and cargo hubs into powerful scenes of civil resistance.
Despite facing suppression, empty promises, and economic pressure, the drivers remain firm. Social media footage—shared in defiance of heavy censorship—shows deserted roads and halted truck convoys along major routes, including Mehran, Saadatshahr, and Kermanshah.
In a statement, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) described the strike as more than a union protest, calling it a cry for justice from the Iranian people and part of a broader national struggle against the ruling religious dictatorship.
The protesting drivers are demanding an end to what they describe as systemic oppression and economic exploitation. In several cities, local shopkeepers and other citizens have joined the movement by closing their businesses in solidarity with the truckers.
This strike has underscored a critical truth: when workers, farmers, drivers, and small business owners unite, they become a formidable force capable of challenging entrenched state power.
On Friday, the Union of Truckers and Drivers Organizations of Iran issued a powerful statement:
“We proudly announce that this great and historic strike—supported by your unity and awareness—has now expanded to 152 cities. The wave of public support continues to affirm the legitimacy of our legal and peaceful protest.
While government officials offer vague promises—claiming they are ‘obligated to meet the drivers’ demands’—they simultaneously issue threats. Drivers in Hamedan, Bijar, and other cities have been arrested under the false pretense of being ‘security violators.’
Our answer is simple: We will resist until our most basic human and legal rights are secured.
These threats only confirm that our voices have reached the very heart of this unjust system. Today, we are more conscious, united, and determined than ever. We will not allow our dignity to be trampled. We will not bring bread to our homes through humiliation. We demand that promises be turned into law—and that threats be silenced.
Our strike will continue until our rightful demands are fully met.”
As the protest continues, the drivers’ courage in the face of state repression is emerging as a powerful symbol of grassroots defiance—not only within the transportation sector but across Iranian society.
