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Iran’s Trucker Strike: A Lit Fuse for Nationwide Uprising Against a Failing Regime
A potent wave of defiance is sweeping across Iran, with the nationwide strike by truck drivers, which marked its eleventh day on June 1, 2025, emerging as a formidable challenge to the clerical regime. This is a powerful manifestation of a nation’s deep-seated frustration, crippling key transportation arteries and galvanizing support from various struggling sectors of Iranian society.
The strike, spanning at least 155 cities across all 31 provinces, serves as a lit fuse, igniting broader solidarity and exposing the regime’s pervasive corruption and incompetence, signaling a populace increasingly ready for fundamental change.
Rally in Malmö Condemns Human Rights Violations and Supports Iranian Truckers’ Strike
Malmö, Sweden — May 31, 2025: A powerful rally took place in Malmö to condemn the ongoing and worsening human rights violations in Iran, with a particular focus on the alarming increase in executions of political prisoners. The event also expressed strong solidarity with the nationwide truckers’ strike currently unfolding in Iran, highlighting the critical role of this labor movement in the broader struggle for justice and democracy.
Aarau Exhibition Highlights Iranian Regime’s Repression and Calls for Political Prisoners’ Freedom
Aarau, Switzerland – May 31, 2025: Supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) organized an exhibition in Aarau to protest the Iranian regime’s severe repression, with a particular focus on the death sentences imposed on political prisoners. The organizers demanded the immediate abolition of these death sentences and the unconditional release of all political prisoners in Iran.
1-Aarau, #Switzerland—May 31, 2025: #MEK supporters held an exhibition against #HumanRightsViolations by the mullahs' regime in #Iran. #StopExecutionsInIran #FreePolitticalPrisoners #FreeIran2025 pic.twitter.com/JTCpPB5w06
— Iran Freedom (@4FreedominIran) June 1, 2025
They condemned the regime’s ongoing human rights violations and expressed solidarity with the Iranian people’s uprising for democratic change.
The Iranian community in Aarau reaffirmed their vision of a democratic, secular republic in Iran, explicitly rejecting all forms of dictatorship—whether under the current religious regime or any return to monarchy.
MEK Supporters in Berlin Protest Iran’s Human Rights Violations, Demand Action
Berlin, Germany – May 31, 2025 – Supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held an exhibition in Berlin to protest the Iranian regime’s escalating human rights violations, focusing on the death sentences imposed on political prisoners.
100 Days of Legal Limbo for Shahin Najafgholizadeh in Evin Prison
More than 100 days have passed since the arrest of Shahin Najafgholizadeh, a young man suffering from a severe mental illness (schizophrenia), and growing concerns are being raised about the deterioration of his mental and physical health. Detained during a protest on February 14, 2024, he is currently held in Ward 4 of Evin Prison under illegal and inhumane conditions — without access to medical care, legal representation, or even the possibility of posting bail.
Shahin has been deprived not only of his most basic legal and human rights, but is also being driven toward a psychological breakdown under the indifference of the judiciary. Mehdi Mahmoudian, a human rights activist, has reported on his condition, stating: “Shahin is on the verge of psychological collapse. He writes letters that read more like wills. He has lost hope and becomes more withdrawn each day.”
Three More Executions in Iran
At dawn on Sunday, June 1, 2025, three prisoners were executed in the prisons of Bam and Zahedan. With these executions, the number of recorded executions in the Persian month of Khordad (beginning from May 22) has reached at least 59. The latest executions involved two individuals convicted of drug-related charges and one convicted of murder.
Fakhrollah Shirouzehi, 30 years old, son of Gholam, married and father of two, was arrested around three years ago on drug-related charges and sentenced to death. Ebrahim Lejei, 35 years old, son of Abdolhamid, a resident of Zahedan and father of two, was also hanged in Bam Prison on the same day on similar charges.
Continued Crackdown on the Nationwide Truck Drivers’ Strike
As the nationwide strike by Iranian truck drivers enters its tenth day, reports indicate increased security pressure and the arrest of labor activists. On Wednesday, May 28, 2025, Ata Aziri, one of the striking drivers in the city of Dehgolan, was arrested by Intelligence Ministry agents and transferred to Sanandaj. His arrest is part of a broader wave of repression targeting labor protests and efforts to silence social and labor demands.
Ata Aziri was among the drivers who resisted government pressure to end the strike. According to local sources, the Sanandaj prosecutor quickly filed a legal case against him on charges such as “supporting the strike” and “confronting strikebreakers.” Simultaneously, his family has been subjected to threats and pressure to prevent them from publicizing his arrest. This pattern of repression—including arrests, fabricated charges, intimidation of families, and enforced silence—has been used in the past against labor and civil rights activists.
European Labor Leaders Issue Joint Statement in Support of Iranian Truck Drivers’ Strike
London, June 1, 2025 – Lord Clarke, former leader of the UK Labour Party, and Roger Lyons, former president of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), issued a joint statement supporting the nationwide strike by truck drivers in Iran. The statement, released during the “Free Iran 2025” conference in Paris, expressed strong solidarity with Iranian drivers who have stood firm against harsh working conditions and growing economic pressure. The strike was described as a powerful symbol of Iranian workers’ broader struggle against systemic exploitation.
In their joint declaration, Lord Clarke and Lyons stated: “Iranian truck drivers, through their courageous resistance in the face of repression, are demanding fair treatment, improved working conditions, and economic justice. This movement represents a labor demand and a fight for human dignity, supported by a wide range of social groups including retirees, teachers, oil workers, and nurses.”
Increase in Execution Days at Ghezel Hesar Prison in Iran
The addition of Mondays to the execution schedule at Ghezel Hesar prison is yet another sign of the regime’s instrumental use of executions to instill fear, cover up regional crises, and suppress the impoverished and protesting population. As public opinion and human rights organizations continue to warn about the intensifying wave of executions in Iran, Ghezel Hesar prison in Karaj has once again come under scrutiny.
According to reports received, in addition to Wednesdays—previously the customary execution day—Mondays have now been officially added to the prison’s execution calendar. This change signals both an acceleration in the regime’s machinery of repression to physically eliminate convicts, and a deliberate strategy by the ruling dictatorship to use executions as a tool of intimidation and social control.
Iran’s Shifting Labor Market: Growth of Services, Decline in Agriculture and Industry
In its latest report on labor market dynamics, the Statistical Center of Iran has highlighted a significant and continuing shift in the country’s employment landscape. The data reveals a growing dominance of the services sector, a shrinking role for agriculture, and a stagnating industrial sector—signaling deep structural changes in Iran’s economy and labor force. According to the report, the services sector now accounts for 52.7% of total employment in Iran, marking a 0.8 percentage point increase compared to the previous year. In contrast, the agricultural sector’s share has dropped from 14.4% in 2023 to 13.9% in 2024. This decline reflects an ongoing trend of labor migration away from farming and toward less physically demanding, often urban-based work.
Hunger and Hardship: Iran’s Deepening Livelihood Crisis
Recent reports from inside Iran paint a grim picture of a nation struggling under the weight of economic collapse, with the crisis hitting hardest in the most basic aspect of daily life: food. As the regime continues to funnel national resources into regional militarism and its costly nuclear ambitions, ordinary Iranians are facing an escalating battle just to afford a single meal.
A report published by the Ham Mihan newspaper, titled “They Want Food and Have No Money”, documents the rising number of Iranians who are unable to purchase even the simplest food items. Many are forced to rely on credit or beg for free meals. Incidents of petty food theft—bread, fruit, sandwiches, chicken—have risen sharply over the past year in cities across the country. Vendors in Tehran report that even a modest price increase of 10,000 tomans risks driving away already struggling customers.