Truck drivers in Iran revolt over increase in fuel prices
Truck driver revolt continues following Iran’s announcement to increase fuel prices
Iranian truck drivers continued to obstruct traffic on Wednesday by blocking roads and ports as part of an almost weeklong protest of the country’s plans to increase fuel prices.
Last Thursday, the truck drivers began striking to protest the increase in fuel prices, as well as high insurance rates and low salaries. Iran’s current plan is to increase the price of fuel from 15.14 cents per gallon to $1.90 per gallon in June, according to the Washington Post.
Videos on social media show trucks parked along major roads, disrupting transportation throughout the country. In the videos, truck drivers refuse to load their trucks, even blaring their horns in protest. The strikes are only expected to get worse with the support of dissidents such as Nobel Peace Prize recipient Narges Mohammadi and film director Jafar Panahi, according to the outlet.
“We will not start [our trucks] until you give a real guarantee,” the Union of Truckers and Drivers Association of Iran said earlier this week. “Protest is not a crime, but our legal right. A driver protesting for his bread and dignity is not a rioter.”
Iran has among the lowest fuel prices in the world. By comparison, the average price for a gallon of gas in the United States on Wednesday was $3.16, according to AAA. Oil is at the center of Iran’s economy, as it possesses the fourth-largest oil reserves in the world.
IRANIAN TRUCK DRIVER STRIKE DISRUPTS TRANSPORTATION IN DOZENS OF CITIES
However, U.S. sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program have negatively affected its oil, a topic currently being discussed in U.S. and Iranian negotiations.
With the truck driver strike ongoing, Fatemeh Mohajerani, spokeswoman for the Iranian government’s Cabinet, said the administration would consider the drivers’ needs and demands.
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