Today, May 28, 2024 (7 Khordad 1404), marks the seventh consecutive day of a nationwide strike by thousands of truck drivers and operators across Iran. Despite severe economic pressure, threats, security crackdowns, and even acts of violence, the strike expanded with greater strength and dignity, spreading across 130 cities. The persistence and growth of these protests demonstrate that the will of the drivers is stronger than any form of suppression, and their voices for justice are louder than any barrier.
The intensifying socio-economic hardships—such as reduced fuel quotas, skyrocketing insurance costs, road tolls, expensive spare parts, and low freight rates—are rooted in the structural corruption and failed religious policies of the ruling regime in Iran. These factors have made it nearly impossible for drivers to continue working or to sustain a livelihood.
Furthermore, reports indicate that agents affiliated with the IRGC (Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps) are engaging in security clampdowns to break the strike. According to official sources from the regime’s judiciary, legal cases are also being filed against truck drivers and operators.
The International Human Rights Advocacy Association stresses that the right to strike is a globally recognized civil right for peaceful protest. We strongly warn the Islamic Republic, and in particular the IRGC, that their response to these strikes is under close scrutiny by international organizations. Any judicial or security actions against the striking drivers will trigger immediate global consequences and international accountability for the Iranian regime.
We call on all sectors, communities, and professions within Iran to join this legal and civil movement and to support the rightful demands of truck drivers and their unions for structural change.
Moreover, the Association urges all democratic governments and international bodies to closely follow the situation in Iran, to support the nationwide and rightful protests of Iranian truck drivers, and to take action against the regime’s unlawful suppression of these peaceful civil demands.
The International Organisation To Preserve Human Rights
London, Brussels, Berlin, Toronto, Washington
28 May 2025