Sources in the MEK network inside Iran report that merchants in Tehran and other cities in Iran are striking again as the Iranian economy continues to plummet, with another dramatic decrease in the value of the rial, coupled with an increase in the value of the dollar.

Hail to the businessmen and shop owners who are on strike in #Tehran and other cities in protest to the destructive policies and astronomical embezzlements institutionalized by Khamenei, Rouhani and the IRGC. #Iran#IranRegimeChange

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) July 30, 2018

I urge the valiant youth of Iran and the resistance units to rise and support the strikes of bazaaris.#IranRegimeChange#Iranhttps://t.co/ZfSWznbEMn … pic.twitter.com/dOVngcvAP9

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) July 30, 2018

The strikes show a number of similarities to the truck drivers strike that is now in their eighth day. The merchants, like the truck drivers, launched a massive round of nationwide strikes earlier this year, but the regime has been incapable of addressing their concerns. Both the merchants and the drivers have now been forced to strike a second time, despite the clerical regime’s heavy suppressive measures.

The disastrous state of the economy and the foreign exchange market is the direct product of the regime’s depravity. The free fall of the value of Rial to the world’s lowest is a consequence of the rule of the mullahs who have destroyed everything to preserve their power. #Iran

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) July 30, 2018

Protests began on the morning of July 30th. MEK sources on the ground report that some merchants in Tehran, Tabriz, Karaj, Ray, and other cities have declared strikes.

 

Tehran’s carpet market is on strikes and has shuttered its shops in protest of the increase in the dollar and the recession that is affecting the bazaar.

 

MEK sources say that Tehran’s gold markets did not open on Monday in protest of the increase in the dollar’s value and the economic downturn in the gold market.

 

Manufacturers and shopkeepers are striking in the city of Ray. Only five out of eighty food bag manufacturers are currently open.

In Karaj, Qazvin Street, merchants, and shopkeepers did not open their stores and went on strike in protest of the increase in the value of the dollar.

 

In Rasht, merchants went on strike to protest the increase in the dollar.

 

In Bandar Abbas, merchants went on strike in protest of the increase in the value of the dollar and the decrease in value of the rial.

 

In Qeshm, marketers, and businesses kept their shops closed and went on strike in protest of the increase of the dollar, rising prices, and the recession of the market.

 

The Amirkabir gold and jewelry market in Tabriz did not open in protest of the rise in the value of the dollar, high prices, and the recession.

 

The MEK network reports that tool and machinery merchants and businessmen in Isfahan closed down their shops yesterday and went on strike in protest of high prices, the increase of the dollar, and economic turmoil.

 

Security forces hope to suppress protests and demonstrations before they can spread. The massive protests and strike in May in Tehran’s Grand Bazaar spread rapidly, both within Tehran and to numerous cities, despite heavy suppressive measures.

 

Security forces were deployed to suppress possible large-scale protests by merchants at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, the Istanbul Metro Station and Ferdowsi Square. Anti-riot motorcyclists were deployed at the Jomhuri Crossroad and opposite the Aladdin Mall.

 

The May merchant strikes that began in Tehran also followed a sharp rise in the exchange rate. The initial strike was in protest of the freefall of the rial, but within hours merchants and others were in the streets chanting, “Let go of Syria, think of us!” and demanding regime change. The protests quickly spread to other cities. The regime arrested a large number of protesters, threatening them with severe charges and imprisonment. Yet, at the end of July, the merchants are brave enough to defy the regime and strike again.

Staff Writer

On Monday, May 14th, merchants in Tehran bazaar closed their shutters in protest at the destructive economic policy and prohibitive customs tariffs imposed by the clerical regime. Popular stalls, including the Kuwaiti bazaar, Sadaf Passage, and Aladdin Passage, were closed after marketers called for a day of strikes.

The move comes in the face of increased repression towards protestors. Intelligence agents of the clerical regime made ominous threats against any vendors who would shutter their stalls in solidarity with the opposition.

A statement published by the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) said: “Striking bazaaris object to the fall of the official exchange rate of the country, market fray and ambiguity about the future of the economic situation. The 4200 tomans dollar exchange rate, announced by Rouhani and his deputy, is not existant, currency exchanges are closed, and the dollar is traded in very limited amounts and more than 8,000 tomans.”

Tehran’s merchant strike comes as the merchant strike in Baneh enters its fourth week. There, the authorities have responded with repressive measures. Merchants striking are being arrested and running the risk of losing their livelihoods.

They have no choice

The reality of the situation is that the vendors have no choice. The Iranian regime closed border crossings at Baneh, Marivan, Piranhasar and Sardasht. This has reduced local employment options, causing a sharp rise in unemployment. This means people are not shopping as much as they used to. The economy is stagnating, and shop owners are seeing their profits erased.

This economic stagnation is compounded by the mullahs’ decision to increase customs tariffs in April. What meagre profits merchants were able to scrape together are now being devoured by the mullahs in the form of tariffs, leaving the people with no choice but to go on strike.

What next?

The regime will undoubtedly employ the same tactics of terror and repression it is using in Baneh, against the merchants in Tehran. Plain clothes agents and guards are already roaming around the bazaar, positions at important intersections including Imam Hossein Square, Ferdowsi Avenue and Molawi.

The Iranian resistance, the NCRI and the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (MEK) stand with the merchants. The organisations, called on the public, especially the youth, to support and express solidarity with the protests of merchants in Tehran and other cities.