Current Events

Financial Times: In the vaulted streets of Tehran’s bazaar, Iranian merchants languish idly beside closed shops. They are mounting one of the biggest strikes since the Islamic revolution to protest against the government’s decision to increase sales tax. The bazaar does not wield the same power that it had in 1979, when it was a leading force behind the downfall of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. But it still has significant economic and political influence, enough to make the government retreat from decisions that do not favour its interests... The strike has spread from Tehran to the north-eastern city of Tabriz. This tactic has worked in the past: two years ago, Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad, president, retreated from a proposed increase in value-added tax after the bazaars in Tehran and other big cities closed down >>>