Truckers strike, cleric briefly arrested in Saudi Arabia—and more
The Iranist for the week of May 30, 2025
THE هفت/SEVEN THINGS TO KNOW THIS WEEK:
۱/1 Truckers are on a nationwide strike
Since May 22, truckers across Iran have gone on strike in at least 163 cities, becoming one of the “most extensive labor protests in recent years.” (HRANA) The protests began in Bandar Abbas, where many are still reeling from the recent Shahid Rajaee Port explosion. As IranWire reports: “Drivers are demanding immediate attention to economic and professional issues, including rising parts costs, expensive insurance, unfair fuel quotas, low freight rates, inadequate roadside services, and lack of security.”
The Union of Truckers and Drivers Association of Iran said the truckers won’t stop protesting until their demands are met. One driver expressed his frustration that no officials had addressed their concerns: “No one has asked us what’s wrong or why we stopped working.” (IranWire)
As a report by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) points out:
“The ongoing nationwide strike by truckers… reflects more than just a reaction to economic hardship. It signals a broader protest against the systemic neglect of fundamental professional and human rights.”
Blue Nissan pickup drivers have joined the protests between May 26-28 in at least five cities (HRANA). Some bakers have also gone on strike, in part because of power outages (IranWire). Over the past week, videos posted on social media showed footage of empty roads, while state media shared footage of routine activities in truck terminals and ports (AP).
Numerous arrests of truckers in various cities have been reported in recent days. On May 27, Kurdish-Iranian trucker Shahab Darabi was violently arrested at his home in front of his family (IranWire/HENGAW). The arrest followed recent activity on his Instagram account, highlighting the ongoing strike. His whereabouts are unknown. The Human Rights Activists News Agency told me that twenty had been arrested as of May 30 (X). Here are some of the faces and names (in Persian). Iranians are posting about the strike under the hashtag اعتصاب_کامیونداران# (#Truckers_strike).
Numerous prominent Iranians in the diaspora and inside the country have backed the truckers, including director Jafar Panahi, who just won the top prize at Cannes (Instagram), Nobel laureate Narges Mohammadi (X), singer Mehdi Yarrahi (X), rapper Toomaj Salehi (X), activist Hossein Ronaghi (X), as well as countless others.
On May 28, the spokesperson of Pezeshkian’s administration said lawmakers had discussed the strike in a meeting and that they would consider the truckers’ needs (AP)
۲/2 The latest developments on negotiations
WHAT HAPPENED AT LATEST TALKS? On May 23, the United States and Iran held their fifth round of talks in Rome, Italy, about the country’s controversial nuclear program. The US side was led by Special Envoy for the Middle East (and Russia issues) Steve Witkoff, and Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi led the Iranian side.
The direct and indirect discussions lasted more than two hours. State Department policy planning director Michael Anton was also present (Axios). A source told me the delay in talks was due to differences over whether Iran would be allowed to enrich uranium or not.
Before the meeting, Witkoff met with Israeli officials, including Mossad chief David Barnea, and then left the talks early, allegedly due to his flight schedule (The Guardian).
Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi described the negotiations as having made “some but not conclusive progress,” noting, “We hope to clarify the remaining issues in the coming days.” (X)
Araghchi said the Omani mediator presented ideas that would be conveyed to their respective capitals “without creating any commitments for either side.” He added, “I am hopeful that in the next one or two rounds… we can reach solutions that allow the talks to progress.” (AP) The Iranian foreign minister also said the talks were “one of the most professional rounds of negotiations.” (Al Jazeera)
An anonymous US official said, “The talks continue to be constructive—we made further progress, but there is still work to be done.” (AP)
A date has not been set yet for the next round of negotiations.
On May 25, US President Donald Trump told reporters:
“We’ve had some very, very good talks with Iran. And I don’t know if I’ll be telling you anything good or bad over the next two days, but I have a feeling I might be telling you something good… Let’s see what happens, but I think we could have some good news on the Iran front.” (AP)
NOTE: Last week, I was in Muscat, and what Omani officials are saying—which comes as no surprise—is that the US and Iran want a deal. How to get there is a different conversation, of course.
Meanwhile, on May 27, President Masoud Pezeshkian and a delegation made a two-day trip to Oman to strengthen bilateral ties and enhance regional cooperation (Al-Monitor).
Read this Washington Post piece about the mood in Tehran as the talks continue.
WHAT ABOUT ENRICHMENT? On May 22, a day before talks in Rome, Araghchi wrote on X:
“Set to travel to Rome for 5th round of indirect talks with the United States. Figuring out the path to a deal is not rocket science: Zero nuclear weapons = we DO have a deal. Zero enrichment = we do NOT have a deal. Time to decide...”
On May 28, sources close to the Iranian negotiating team told Reuters that Tehran may pause uranium enrichment if the US releases frozen funds and recognizes the country’s right to peaceful enrichment. The sources noted that a “political understanding with the United States could be reached soon” if Washington accepted the conditions, but they noted that it hadn’t been discussed during the talks yet.
According to parliamentarian Ahmad Bakhshayesh Ardestani, the Omanis had presented two proposals: Iran suspend its uranium enrichment activities for six months and resume it later, and the formation of a regional nuclear consortium (RFE/RL). Amwaj.media goes into further detail about what that might look like. The Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei denied that the consortium proposal originated from Tehran and said that Iran would consider it if it were proposed (Al-Monitor).
On May 26, Baghaei called reports of a three-year enrichment freeze “totally false.” (Al Jazeera) On the same day, President Pezeshkian said Tehran could live without a deal:
“It’s not like we will die of hunger if they refuse to negotiate with us or impose sanctions. We will find a way to survive.” (Times of Israel)
Meanwhile, Austrian intelligence claims Iran is “is striving for comprehensive rearmament, with nuclear weapons to make the regime immune to attack and to expand and consolidate its dominance in the Middle East and beyond.” (Fox News) Responding to the report, Araghchi said:
“Path to a deal goes through the negotiating table and not the media. As for the latest fake news against Iran-U.S. diplomacy: using Iran to attack American critics is low, even for Israel.” (X)
WILL ISRAEL BOMB IRAN? Last week, news broke of new US intelligence suggesting that Israel is preparing a possible strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. According to Axios, the reason Israel is making preparations for a strike is because “the Israeli intelligence community has shifted just in the past few days from believing a nuclear deal was close to thinking talks could soon break down.” Araghchi warned that Tehran would see the United States as a “participant” in any attack on Iran.
Over the past week, numerous outlets—including the Times of Israel and the New York Times—reported on a tense call between Trump and Netanyahu. The office of the prime minister called the New York Times report “fake news.” (X) In the past week, there have been several meetings between top Trump officials and their Israeli counterparts after the Rome talks.
According to the New York Times:
“Israeli officials fear Trump is now so eager for a deal of his own—one he will try to sell as stronger than the one the Obama administration struck in 2015—that he will allow Iran to keep its uranium enrichment facilities.”
While there’s a widely held view that Netanyahu is afraid of upsetting Trump, “Israeli officials have told their American counterparts that Netanyahu could order a strike on Iran even if a successful diplomatic agreement is reached.” (New York Times)
On May 28, while speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump confirmed his talks with the Israeli prime minister, noting, “I told him this would be inappropriate to do right now because we’re very close to a solution.”
UK UNDER FIRE Meanwhile, while speaking at the Atlantic Council on May 27, UK ambassador to Washington Peter Mandelson appeared to side with previous US calls for zero enrichment. The comments prompted the Iranian foreign minister to threaten to end talks with the E3 on X:
“If the UK position is ‘zero enrichment’ in Iran—in violation of the NPT and UK commitments as a remaining JCPOA participant—there is nothing left for us to discuss on the nuclear issue.”
۳/3 Director Jafar Panahi wins Cannes’ top prize
In his speech, the Iranian director called on Iranians to “cast aside all of your differences for the good of the nation [Iran] and in hopes that, without delay, we may reach freedom.” (X)
At Tehran’s Imam Khomeini International Airport, Panahi was greeted with chants of “Woman, Life, Freedom!” (X)
۴/4 Political prisoner executed on allegations of spying for Israel
۵/5 Iranian cleric briefly detained in Saudi Arabia over criticism of Kingdom
On May 26, a mid-ranking Iranian cleric was briefly detained in Saudi Arabia for criticizing the Kingdom’s cultural and religious policies on camera. In the footage, Gholamreza Qassemian, dressed in white pilgrimage robes, says:
“There’s no longer any need to go to Antalya for casinos, centers of debauchery, and obscene concerts—you can now come to Mecca and Medina instead.”(Antalya is a Turkish tourist destination that is popular with Iranians.)
Qassemian, reportedly the former head of Iran’s parliamentary library and documentation center, also described conditions for pilgrims as highly restrictive. Shortly after the video was posted, the Shia cleric was arrested in the city of Medina while performing Hajj rituals. Reuters alleges that the comments were made after media reports said the Kingdom planned to lift a 73-year-old ban on alcohol. A Saudi official denied the reports.
On May 27, the Iranian judiciary called the arrest “unjustified and illegal.” (Reuters).
Filmmaker Javad Mogouei alleges Qassemian gave a fiery speech at a religious gathering shortly before some attendees went on to storm the Saudi embassy in Tehran in 2016, which led to the severing of ties until they were restored through a China-brokered deal in 2023 (Iran International). After the news broke, hardliners reportedly showed online support of the cleric (Iran International).
Given the delicate nature of the renewed ties and the potential damage the incident could cause between Tehran and Riyadh, officials quickly tried to contain the incident. On the same date, the Iranian foreign minister wrote on X:
“Iran in no uncertain terms condemns any attempt to harm Muslim unity, particularly in the spiritual atmosphere of the Hajj. We are determined to not allow anyone to sabotage relations with our brotherly neighbors, including the progressive path of Iran and Saudi Arabia. The highly competent management of this year's Hajj is well appreciated by Iran. I extend warm greetings and prayers for continued success to the Government and people of Saudi Arabia as they welcome Muslims to the Holy Shrines.”
On May 28, Saudi Arabia suspended hajj visa issuance for Iranians (IranWire).
On May 29, Qassemian was released and was on his way back to Iran (New Arab). Al-Monitor reported that the cleric was released with another unnamed Iranian man.
۶/6 Russia’s deadly drone industry upgraded with Iran’s help
۷/7 Torture and tres leches in Iran’s most notorious prison
OTHER اخبار/NEWS THAT MADE HEADLINES:
Human Rights
۰ Iran executes 16th woman this year, rights group says (IranWire)
۰ Homes of six Baha’i citizens raided in Yazd (HRANA)
۰ Activist on fifth day of hunger strike in Evin prison (IranWire)
۰ Mother of slain protester returns to prison (IranWire)
۰ Rights lawyer meets imprisoned husband after 5 months (IranWire)
۰ Rights lawyer says son summoned over prison complaint (IranWire)
۰ Imprisoned scholar exposes denial of medical care to political prisoners (CHRI)
۰ Anti-execution strikes spread to 45 prisons across Iran (IranWire)
Domestic Issues
۰ Judge is stabbed to death in southern Iran (AP)
۰Lawmaker’s son hits police officer with car in Tehran bus lane (IranWire)
۰ Iran cancels football match in Mashhad over women ban demand (IranWire)
۰ The love scam: How matchmaking fraud is growing (IranWire)
Foreign Policy + Security
۰ US denies prisoner swap to free Elizabeth Tsurkov for jailed Iranian (New Arab)
۰ Where Iran and Israel align: Youth tobacco use (Think Global Health)
۰ Khamenei calls for Iranian, Pakistani ‘joint efforts’ against Israel (Jerusalem Post)
۰ No rush to restore relations with Syria, Iran’s foreign minister says (IranWire)
۰ Iran investigates case of ‘missing’ Indian nationals (BBC)
۰ Iran extends detention of Azeri lawyer on spying charges (IranWire)
۰ Iran, Azerbaijan reset ties amid geopolitical shifts: Can balance hold? (Al-Monitor)
۰ Iran and Ethiopia have a security deal – here’s why they signed it (The Conversation)
۰ Iran enhances locally developed drone fleet, unveils three new models (Defense Post)
Iran Deal + Sanctions
۰ Iran says it’s ready to compromise with Trump, suggests US understands its red lines (CNN)
۰ Iran might accept US IAEA inspectors if nuclear deal reached (Reuters)
۰ Iran steps up military posturing as nuclear talks stall, Israel threatens (Al-Monitor)
۰ FM Araghchi warns of Iran’s ‘harsh’ response if ‘snapback’ mechanism invoked (PressTV)
۰ How lower oil prices may impact Iranian financial decision-making (Amwaj.media)
۰ What if sanctions were lifted? Who could invest in Iran and how? (IranWire)
۰ Iran Air receives two used Airbus A330s in oil-for-planes deal with China (Iran International)