Policing without batons: Iran expands use of tech to preempt dissent

Initially launched to protest fuel quotas and working conditions, the industrial action has brought freight traffic to a standstill. Videos from Bandar Abbas, Marivan, and the Kahak-Qom highway show deserted routes normally busy with cargo trucks.

Authorities have escalated efforts to suppress the strike with arrests, sources close to the strikers told Iran International, adding that security forces have summoned many drivers and detained some.

The truckers union on Wednesday called for immediate and unconditional release of those arrested, reporting crackdowns in several provinces including Isfahan, Hormozgan, Fars, Kermanshah, Ardabil and Khuzestan.

On Tuesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Kerman province announced it had dismantled an “organized anti-security network,” though it gave no details or clear link to the strike.

Drivers are calling for better working conditions, higher freight rates, and relief from high insurance costs and fuel restrictions.

IRGC-affiliated vehicles have been spotted transporting goods, in what appears to be an attempt to break the strike.

One citizen who filmed an IRGC-marked truck told Iran International the force was stepping in to cover routes abandoned by striking drivers.

Hard to break

The government faces a logistical and political challenge. Despite efforts since 2018 to increase corporate control of the freight industry—doubling the number of company-owned trucks and drawing figures like Babak Zanjani into the sector—most trucks remain in private hands.

Official data shows that 552,000 drivers operate 433,000 trucks nationwide. Of those, just under 7% (around 30,000) are company-owned, while the rest are controlled by individual owner-operators, many of whom are now aligned with the strike.

The action could be poised to spread beyond truck drivers, with some working for ride share company Snapp voicing solidarity.

In messages sent to Iran International, one driver said he would continue to strike alongside the truckers; another urged colleagues and other professions to join the movement.

Officials announced on Wednesday that a plan to introduce a tiered diesel pricing system was suspended—in appeared to be a government response to a key demand of the strikers.

“All aspects of fuel allocation will be reviewed with the participation of trucker representatives,” head of truckers union Firooz Khodaei said.

Some of the accounts describe isolation in sweltering apartments, lack of essential services and increasing anger over government inaction.

In Ahvaz, where daytime temperatures top 45°C, one man said midday cuts had left families without air conditioning.

A resident of Pardis near Tehran reported being stranded in a high-rise: “On the 14th floor, we’re cut off from the world for two hours a day—no power, no water, no communication.”

In Shahreza in Isfahan province, a woman filmed a gas station rendered defunct by power cuts.

Iran faces a shortfall of nearly 20,000 megawatts, a crisis fueled by extreme heat, dwindling hydropower, and years of underinvestment.

Messages show burned-out appliances, food spoilage, and even fire damage. “This fire started because of power flickers,” said one man, gesturing to a scorched storefront. “This is one of the blessings of the Islamic Republic.”

Some residents complained about bathing children with bottled water and elderly citizens stuck in buildings without functioning elevators or water pumps.

“No bread, no water, no electricity, no internet, no clean air,” one voice said. “This already is hell.”

The outages have hit mobile networks and small businesses alike, with dead batteries at relay stations shutting down service and shopkeepers counting losses. “The fuse blew. Everything spoiled. I paid a heavy price,” said a Gelato shop owner.

Despite vast oil and gas reserves, Iran’s government has failed to upgrade infrastructure or build renewables.

Authorities continue to cite illegal cryptocurrency mining as a strain. Energy Minister Abbas Aliabadi said such operations now consume over 1,000 megawatts—about 5% of the shortfall.

But the broader collapse in services continues. In high-rise buildings, electricity cuts disable water pumps, leaving residents without running water. “We haven’t showered in two days,” said a woman in one video. “We use bottled water for the toilet. At least open the public baths.”

“Some have tried to prove that corruption in the Islamic Republic is systemic. That is a lie,” Khamenei said. “Corruption is like a seven-headed dragon that won’t vanish easily, but the system itself is healthy.”

Addressing provincial governors in Tehran, he called on people in power to avoid conflicts of interest and personal business ventures, saying corrupt officials face double divine punishment.

His remarks follow a withering speech by US President Donald Trump in Riyadh this month in which he accused Iran’s leadership of theft and mismanagement.

"Iran's leaders have focused on stealing their people's wealth to fund terror and bloodshed abroad. Most tragic of all, they have dragged down an entire region with them," Trump said.

The latest Corruption Perceptions Index from watchdog Transparency International ranks Iran 151 out of 180 countries in terms of public sector corruption.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian responded to Trump last week in a speech to parliament, accusing the US of hypocrisy and exploitation.

“The master thieves of the planet who rob every country now accuse others,” he said. “They came here to plunder.”

The Supreme Leader's remarks come as nearly daily protests linger across Iran.

Union members from the trucking, baking and other sectors are coordinating in ongoing nationwide strikes while pensioners have held scattered demonstrations over unpaid benefits in recent days.

Almost a third of Iranians struggle to afford basic necessities and millions live below the poverty line amid sharply rising inflation and stagnant wages.

Sources told Iran International that intelligence and security agencies have begun directly contacting and summoning truck drivers in Sirjan, Kerman province, with several reportedly detained in an attempt to break the strike.

On Tuesday, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Kerman province said in a statement that it had dismantled what it called an “organized anti-security network” operating across several provinces.

The statement did not specify the network’s alleged activities or any link to the truckers' strike.

Iran's Truckers and Heavy Vehicle Drivers Union released a statement marking the sixth day of the strike, confirming that 11 drivers and truck owners had been detained in Kermanshah, western Iran.

The union called for their immediate and unconditional release, saying, “Repression, arrest, and threats are not a response to legitimate demands — they are a sign of desperation in the face of our growing call for justice.”

In response to the arrests, hundreds of drivers in Kermanshah staged a protest in front of the provincial governor’s office, denouncing what they described as unjust treatment and expressing solidarity with their detained colleagues.

Launched on May 22 in the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, the coordinated protest has since spread widely across the country, with truckers pledging to hold out for a full week or longer if their demands remain unmet.

Drivers are demanding better working conditions, higher freight rates, and relief from high insurance costs and fuel restrictions.

A stream of voice messages and videos sent in from across the country to Iran International's submissions line points to a population grappling with collapsing purchasing power and authorities they see as out of touch with their plight.

The average monthly salary in Iran is around 150 to 200 million rials—equivalent to approximately $200-$250. But for residents in Tehran, especially those with families, this amount barely covers essentials.

One video showed a family’s lunch—just potatoes, yogurt and bread—accompanied by a bitter message voiced by the person filming: “May God curse you."

“Two packed small cakes and two juices cost 1,000,000 rials ($1.2),” said one person by audio message. “How long must we live like this?”

From grocery items to medical care, costs have surged dramatically. A 10 kg bag of Pakistani rice now sells for 9,800,000 rials ($11.80), while apples and pears fetch up to 7,000,000 rials/kg ($8.43)

Others described medical burdens. A pensioner, aged 70, said his income was just 38,000,000 rials (around $45.8) a month. “Half of that goes to medication,” he said. In another message, a military veteran said he had to pay out of pocket for cold medicine. “At my age, this is shameful,” he added.

Multiple complaints targeted the government's National Housing Plan. One registrant said she borrowed 1,500,000,000 rials (around $1,800) for a housing deposit but never received the promised loan. “Why aren’t you giving people their loans, President Pezeshkian?” she asked.

Others addressed Iran’s leadership more broadly. “You say you’ll destroy America,” one voice said, “but people are paying 16,500,000 rials ($20) just to buy soy and beans.”

Another pointed to baby formula: two subsidized cans plus a painkiller cost over 3,400,000 rials ($4.10), with unsubsidized prices higher. “So what’s the point of subsidies?”

Several messages referenced US President Donald Trump’s recent remarks during his Middle East tour, calling Iranian leaders “thieves.” One man said, “If you’re not thieves, why are people bent over in garbage bins?”

The sharp rise in prices for basic goods such as the cheapest type of bread called lavash—up from 65,00 rials to 13,250 in under a year (~$0.008 to $0.016)—has left many Iranians how their static incomes can ever catch up to soaring costs. “Who gets a raise that often?” one asked.

The voices together point to a society under strain with many seeing no financial future in the status quo.