Government’s $7 Billion Control via Regulation of Kulbars: Will Kulbari Finally Be Legalized?/ Nafiseh Sharafaldini

The Pezeshkian administration is set to implement a regulatory framework for overseeing border trade practices, specifically kulbari (manual border transport) and tehlanji (small-scale maritime trade). Under this framework, the government plans to manage $4 to $7 billion worth of annual imports conducted through kulbari. Abdolnaser Hemmati, Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, announced during a […]...

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Who Benefits from the Import of iPhone 16? / Roza Nateghi

In Shahrivar (August-September) of this year, the Minister of Industry, Mines, and Trade commented during a Tehran Chamber of Commerce meeting about the current status of iPhone imports and registration, asserting that no documentation exists on this matter. He mentioned that relevant departments in the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Industry, Mines, and […]...

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Interview with Ebrahim Rahimian, Head of the Tabas Workers’ House/ Dina Ghalibaf

The Tabas mine disaster, which claimed the lives of 52 hardworking individuals, brought the term “miner” and the concept of “hard labor” into the spotlight for a while in the minds of the public and the media. Following the incident, as videos of the victims’ families circulated, a crucial question became even more prominent: Why […]...

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Interview with a Survivor of the Madanjo Tabas Mine: “Be Submissive and Say: Yes, Yes, Yes”/ Pedram Tahsini

His name is Abolfazl. He had three brothers, and both he and one of his brothers worked in the Madanjo mine. Now, that brother (Mohammadjavad Beheshtizadeh) has perished alongside 51 other miners, while Abolfazl survived. At first, he refuses to be interviewed. For several hours, he avoids the conversation with various excuses. Finally, he agrees […]...

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The Responsibilities of the Ministry of Industry and the Ministry of Labor in the Tabas Mine Tragedy/ Mousa Barzin

The Tabas mine disaster, which resulted in the deaths and injuries of dozens of workers, was not the first such incident and, unfortunately, is unlikely to be the last. It is clear that the safety of the country’s mines is not a priority for either employers or relevant government bodies. Determining which safety standards should […]...

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Government Pressure on Journalists Regarding the Tabas Mine Tragedy/ Sina Yousefi

The tragic “Tabas Mine” incident, which involved an explosion or collapse in one of the coal mines in the region, claimed the lives of several workers and left many families mourning. This incident is one of those bitter events that once again highlights the fundamental problems in the field of workplace safety and the lack […]...

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Has Society’s Response to the Tabas Mine Disaster Been Adequate?/ Ahmad Alavi

According to official reports, Iran experiences dozens of fatal mining accidents annually. The exact number of victims is unclear due to underreporting of incidents, but some estimates suggest that more than 100 serious accidents occur in Iran’s mines each year, many of which result in the death of workers (see Table 1). The International Labour […]...

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“Convention on Safety and Health in Mines”: A Law Gathering Dust/ Ehsan Haqi

Mining has long been one of the most difficult and hazardous jobs, and due to this reality, it is traditionally recognized as a clear example of hard and harmful work. Over time, the dangerous nature of this profession and the people involved in it have come under increasing legal scrutiny, leading to significant national and […]...

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Workers Who Stayed, Worked, and Died/ Fereshteh Goli

Who could have known that day, and its sunset, would be the last for 52 workers at the Tabas coal mine? Who could have predicted that an explosion would turn the Tabas mine disaster into one of the deadliest mining accidents in Iranian history? You might say no one, but many lived in fear of […]...

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Strikes and Organizing; The Lost Fortresses of Workers / Mustafa Ahmadian

Nearly a century has passed since the fourteen-day nationwide strike of printing workers and the prolonged strike of oil industry workers in Abadan between 1300 and 1404 (1921-1925). These were the first genuine and official strikes in the labor movement in Iran. Subsequently, between 1304 and 1320 (1925-1941), widespread strikes occurred, which faced the harshest […]...

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Rethinking the Role and Structure of Unions in Confronting Job Insecurity/ Mehrnaz Razaghi

The effects of “neoliberalism” on the world of work and labor unions are topics of contemporary debate in most countries. According to David Harvey, neoliberalism can be understood as a theory of political economy practices that seeks to enhance human well-being by maximizing entrepreneurial freedoms within an institutional framework characterized by the protection of private […]...

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“Tabas” in a Grief That Went Unseen/ Hormoz Sharifian

It seems that the painful events stemming from inefficiency, lack of modernization, negligence, and irresponsibility will not release the long-suffering people of Iran from their grip. It feels like we are condemned to witness devastating disasters every few years, events that inflict deep wounds on the soul and psyche of Iranians, leaving scars that remain […]...

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