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Labor Protests and Panic Buying Signal Growing Pressure in Iran
(Wall Street Journal) Benoit Faucon Iranians rushed to buy fuel and food this week as the U.S. threat to tighten sanctions sparked fears of deeper shortages. Small demonstrations by labor unions are popping up across the country. On Monday, offshore oil and gas workers protested in Asaluyeh, saying workers who keep production running shouldn't be facing a livelihood crisis or struggling to pay rent. On Sunday, 100 laid-off workers demonstrated against their dismissal at the Shadegan steel complex in western Iran. Conditions are clearly deteriorating. Long lines formed outside fuel stations in Tehran and other cities as drivers rushed to fill their tanks ahead of a planned reduction in quotas for subsidized fuel. Some supermarkets in Tehran temporarily ran out of cooking oil and rice as shoppers scooped them for hoarding.