Retirees and bazaar merchants carry on their demonstrations and strikes in various cities

Maryam Rajavi hailed the retirees and bazaar merchants who rose up to demand their right to life and freedom

Bazaar merchants and shopkeepers in various cities protested high prices and plundering increase of taxes today, Saturday, June 18. In Tehran, automotive parts vendors in Cheragh-Bargh Street went on strike and marched towards Lalehzar, urging other bazaar merchants to strike. The shops of Kashani shopping center in Tehran also went on strike today. The repressive State Security Force (SSF) tried to forcefully break the strike. The protesting bazaar merchants shouted “Disgrace, disgrace” in response to the attack by regime agents. SSF agents arrested several bazaar merchants.

In Isfahan, bazaar merchants in eight sectors went on strike, including of kilim rug makers in Naghsh Jahan square, mobile phone merchants in Bozorgmehr, Ahmadabad and Ferdowsi streets, the home appliance bazaar in Hatef street, the textile vendors bazaar in Ebn-Sina street, Sabzeh Maidan bazaar and wholesalers bazaar.

Bazaar merchants in Lenjan, Khorramabad, Arak, Hendijan, Noorabad Mamasani and Kuhchenar in Fars province and goldsmiths in Yazd went on strike in protest of high prices and overwhelming taxes.
As of this morning, stonecutters workshops have been on strike in six cities in Isfahan province, including the industrial town of Mahmudabad, Rezvanshahr, Maymeh, Najafabad, Shahin Shahr and Dolatabad. Unprecedented tax increases, a 500 percent increase in electricity prices, power outages, a 100 percent increase in gas prices, rising workers’ wages, and lack of water supply for stone cutting was the stated reason for the strikes.

Pensioners gathered and marched today in various cities, including Ahvaz, Shushtar, Zanjan, Bandar Abbas, Abadan, Shoush, Kerman and Rasht, to protest low wages and failure to meet their demands. They chanted: “Liar Raisi, what happened to your promises,” “Both the parliament and the government are lying to the nation”, “Our tables are empty, enough of empty promises,” “No more humiliation. Either death or life”, “We will not accept humiliation,” “Deceitful government, give us our rights back.” Repressive forces in Tehran and Tabriz prevented the formation of rallies.

In addition to bazaar merchants and pensioners, workers at the Arak Aluminum, Arak Azarab and Kangan Petropalayesh factories went on strike today. The families of the arrested teachers in Saqqez also gathered outside the city’s central prison to demand the release of their loved ones.

Ms. Maryam Rajavi hailed pensioners and bazaar merchants who, despite the onslaught of repressive forces, once again shouted their inalienable right to life and freedom in various cities. She stated that their resistance to arrest and in the face of regime violence was a testament to the fact that the Iranian people are determined to overthrow the clerical regime and are not afraid of anything.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)
June 18, 2022