A grave humanitarian crisis is unfolding in the industrial city of Arak, where a prolonged protest by 4,000 aluminum factory workers has reached a terrifying new stage. As of September 10, their strike entered its 44th day, with a significant number of workers escalating their protest to a “dry hunger strike,” refusing both food and water. The physical toll has been immediate and severe, with videos circulating on social media showing weakened workers being transported to hospitals, their bodies failing but their resolve intact.
This desperate stand in Arak is not an isolated incident but a powerful symptom of a nationwide crisis fueled by the clerical regime’s systemic corruption and economic plundering. As organized labor pushes back against oppression, tragic acts of individual despair, like the recent self-immolation of a young man in Shadegan, paint a harrowing picture of a nation at its breaking point.
Arak: A Symbol of Unyielding Resistance
The workers at the Arak Aluminum company are protesting for their most basic rights: overdue wages and livable working conditions. Yet, in an extraordinary act of defiance, their strike is not a work stoppage. They continue to operate the production lines even as the hunger strike ravages their health. Reports from the factory describe workers so weakened they can barely stand, yet they remain at their posts, a testament to their commitment and a stark indictment of the regime’s neglect. One worker lamented, “We have to go to the hospital hungry! Workers are giving their lives, but the management offers no response.”
#Iran News Alert
Over 4,000 workers at Arak Aluminum Plant entered day 43 of their strike on Wednesday, defying regime repression. Some have launched a dry hunger strike; several were hospitalized due to severe health issues. Protesters demand removal of the factory security… pic.twitter.com/l9e4OLKFEH— SIMAY AZADI TV (@en_simayazadi) September 10, 2025
The regime’s response has been a mixture of contempt and intimidation. Instead of addressing the workers’ legitimate grievances, the management offered a “small and worthless gift card,” an insult that has only deepened the workers’ resolve. Their demands have now grown beyond mere economic relief, with calls for the dismissal of the factory’s head of security, a figure they identify as a mercenary of the regime. This escalation shows the protest has evolved from a labor dispute into a direct confrontation with the state’s oppressive apparatus.
A Spreading Fire of Discontent
The courage of the Arak workers has not gone unnoticed. Their strike is part of a “growing wave of labor protests,” with workers in the key port city of Bandar Abbas and the oil town of Aghajari holding their own rallies in solidarity. This fire of discontent is spreading far beyond industrial centers. In Varzaqan, East Azerbaijan, deprived villagers blocked the road to the Andirgan gold mine, protesting the environmental devastation caused by regime-affiliated mafias. They report that the plundering of their local resources is destroying their agriculture and killing their livestock, leaving them with nothing but “poverty and ruin” while enriching a corrupt elite.
This organized resistance, both from industrial workers and rural communities, is mirrored by tragic acts of individual despair elsewhere in the country, highlighting the multiple fronts of the Iranian people’s struggle. On September 7, Mohammad Shavardi, a 26-year-old man from Shadegan, succumbed to his injuries after setting himself on fire in front of the local governor’s office on August 30. His protest was a final, desperate cry against the crushing economic pressures and lack of opportunity that define life for millions of young Iranians. Shavardi’s death is a direct consequence of the same “plundering and oppressive policies” that have driven the Arak workers to the brink of starvation. Together, the mass strike in Arak, the community uprising in Varzaqan, and the solitary act of self-immolation in Shadegan form a powerful signal that the Iranian people have been pushed beyond their limit.
September 10—Varzaqan, northwest Iran
The impoverished residents of villages in Varzeqan blocked the road leading to the Andirgan mine to express their anger and protest against the widespread environmental destruction and the devastation of their livelihoods caused by the… pic.twitter.com/jMKjNhv0CH— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 11, 2025
The Regime’s Bankrupt Response: Suppression and Spin
Faced with a burgeoning crisis, the regime has resorted to its time-worn tactics of suppression and propaganda. In Arak, its agents have attempted to create a “climate of fear,” issuing threats to break the strike. Simultaneously, state-affiliated media outlets like the ILNA news agency have tried to sanitize the protest, framing it as a mere technical dispute over “mismanagement” and the “inappropriate results of privatization policies.” This narrative deliberately ignores the workers’ political rage and the systemic corruption at the heart of the crisis.
Similarly, state media confirmed Shavardi’s death but cynically dismissed its cause as simply “work-related problems,” erasing the political context of his desperate act. These tactics reveal a regime that is not only unwilling but incapable of addressing its people’s suffering.
A Nation on the Verge
The eyes of Iran’s disenfranchised populace are now fixed on Arak. The aluminum workers have become a national symbol of resilience, sending a clear message: “We are standing for a life of dignity.” The events in Arak, Shadegan, and Varzaqan are not isolated flare-ups; they are the tremors of a potential nationwide uprising, born from decades of injustice and an unwavering demand for fundamental change. The Iranian people have shown they will pay any price, even with their lives, to reclaim the rights and the nation stolen from them.