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How widespread is shopkeepers' strike in Iran?

Thursday, 17 November 2022 2:17 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 17 November 2022 2:17 AM ]

Yusef Jalali

Press TV, Tehran

Shuttered shops and noisy streets with demonstrators calling for business owners to join the strike. This is an image that mainstream media have been portraying of Iran. But a quick roll on the streets of Tehran reveals that it's not exactly what's happening, as normal life goes on in many parts of the capital.

Videos circulating on social media show shops at Tehran's Grand Bazaar being closed down as part of a three-day strike that allegedly marks the 2019 street violence in Iran over a sharp rise in fuel prices.

Some people have a different narrative; they say those shops are closed because shopkeepers fear vandalism by protesters.

Unofficial reports show that elements linked to the anti-Iran MKO terrorist group attacked the Tehran iron market on Wednesday, damaging the shops and forcing shop owners to stop their business.

Violence first broke out in Iran in mid-September following the death of a 22 year old girl in hospital in Tehran.

The Islamic Republic says foreign media outlets are overstating what's going on the ground in Iran to fan the flames of the unrest. Officials here are now calling on protesters to calm down, warning them against playing into the hands of Iran's enemies.

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