Iran Arrests Firm Managers for Backing Labor Strikes

Strikes at the Esfahan Steel Company last fall. (Twitter)
Strikes at the Esfahan Steel Company last fall. (Twitter)
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Iran Arrests Firm Managers for Backing Labor Strikes

Strikes at the Esfahan Steel Company last fall. (Twitter)
Strikes at the Esfahan Steel Company last fall. (Twitter)

Iranian authorities have arrested managers at companies for backing workers' strikes in an energy-producing region in the south, Iranian media reported Wednesday.

"A number of managers" were arrested for "having supported the acts of counter-revolutionary elements" and "organized strikes" at South Pars projects, AFP quoted Fars news agency as saying.

The offshore South Pars field in the Gulf — the world's largest known gas reserve, which Iran shares with Qatar — employs some 40,000 workers.

More company officials will be arrested "in the coming days," it added.

In April, the authorities said 4,000 of the workers on strike over pay and work conditions would be replaced.

The Iran Labor News Agency (ILNA) reported that South Pars employees "have continued to put forward their collective demands," calling for "a 79-percent increase in wages" as well as an "end to discrimination" and the right to "freedom of association."

In 2022, Iran witnessed several waves of strikes by teachers and bus drivers who protested low wages and high living costs.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that some labor protests have been helpful to the country.

"These protests are actually helping the government and the system and making them understand" the demands of workers, Khamenei said.

Since 2018, Iran's economy has been hit by US-led sanctions and spiraling inflation, along with record depreciation of the rial against the dollar.

Meanwhile, Canada imposed additional sanctions on Iran on Wednesday over human rights violations in the country and abroad. The sanctions list one entity and nine people.

The listed entity is Rajaei Prison, which witnessed a record number of executions and is an example of "the regime’s barbarism and neglect of human rights".

Among the nine people designated by the Canadian government are members of the Morality Police, and deputy commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps in Balochistan.

"We will continue to do everything in our power to respond to the destabilizing actions of the Iranian regime, which affect not only the Iranian people, but have implications for world peace and security,” said Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly.



Iran Says Fire Contained after Deadly Blast at Key Port

A handout photo made available by the Iranian Red Crescent Society official channel shows a helicopter spraying water at the Rajaie port in the city of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, 27 April 2025 (issued 28 April 2025). (EPA/ Iranian Red Crescent Society/ Handout)
A handout photo made available by the Iranian Red Crescent Society official channel shows a helicopter spraying water at the Rajaie port in the city of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, 27 April 2025 (issued 28 April 2025). (EPA/ Iranian Red Crescent Society/ Handout)
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Iran Says Fire Contained after Deadly Blast at Key Port

A handout photo made available by the Iranian Red Crescent Society official channel shows a helicopter spraying water at the Rajaie port in the city of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, 27 April 2025 (issued 28 April 2025). (EPA/ Iranian Red Crescent Society/ Handout)
A handout photo made available by the Iranian Red Crescent Society official channel shows a helicopter spraying water at the Rajaie port in the city of Bandar Abbas, southern Iran, 27 April 2025 (issued 28 April 2025). (EPA/ Iranian Red Crescent Society/ Handout)

Firefighters have brought under control a blaze at Iran's main port, following a deadly explosion blamed on negligence, authorities said.

The explosion, heard dozens of kilometers (miles) away, hit a dock at the southern port of Shahid Rajaee on Saturday.

At least 70 people were killed and more than 1,000 others suffered injuries in the blast and ensuing fire, which also caused extensive damage, state media reported.

Red Crescent official Mokhtar Salahshour told the channel late Monday that the fire had been "contained" and a clean-up was under way.

State television aired live footage on Tuesday showing thick smoke rising from stacked containers.

Iran's ILNA news agency quoted Hossein Zafari, spokesman for the country's crisis management organization, as saying the situation had improved significantly since Monday.

However, "the operation and complete extinguishing process may take around 15 to 20 days", the agency reported.

Iran's customs authority said port operations had returned to normal, according to the IRNA news agency.

The port of Shahid Rajaee lies near the major coastal city of Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes.

Hormozgan provincial governor Mohammad Ashouri ruled out sabotage.

"The set of hypotheses and investigations carried out during the process indicated that the sabotage theory lacks basis or relevance," he told state television late Monday.

The port´s customs office said the blast may have started in a depot storing hazardous and chemical materials.

Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni said there were "shortcomings, including noncompliance with safety precautions and negligence".

A committee assigned to investigate the blast cited similar factors as the likely cause.