Protests In Iran: Oil Workers Strike, Defy Crackdown

Facts

• On Monday, dozens of workers of Iran's vital oil-and-gas industry went on strike, reportedly joining for the first time anti-government protests now in the fourth week. The semi-official Tasnim news agency, however, described the incident - including the slogan "death to the dictator" - as a salary dispute involving 700 workers.
• Meanwhile, violence erupted in the Iranian Kurdish city of Sanandaj, where gunshots and blasts were heard. The government has so far failed to suppress nationwide protests led by young Iranians and triggered by the death of Iranian Kurdish woman Mahsa Amini.
• According to the Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights, at least 185 people have been killed since the unrest began, including 19 children, with state media reporting that at least 20 members of Iran's security forces have died.
• Iranian leaders convened Saturday in Tehran to stress the need for unity to overcome hostility caused by "Iran's enemies." Despite internet restrictions being in place for weeks, unrest hasn't ceased, and hackers briefly hijacked the state TV feed over the weekend to broadcast a call to protest.
• Amini died while in police custody in mid-September after being detained in Tehran for allegedly not fully covering her hair. The Iranian Legal Medical Organization (which is self-described as independent but is part of Iran's judicial system) reported on Friday that her death was caused not by blows to the head and limbs, but by multiple organ failures connected to an "underlying disease."
• On Monday, the UK sanctioned Iran's so-called "morality police," citing Amini's death and the subsequent protests. London accuses it of "serious human rights violations" and "repression of women and girls."

Sources: Wall Street Journal, Guardian, BBC News, Al Jazeera, NBC, and Standard

Narratives

• Pro-establishment narrative, as provided by France24. Amini's death, and the circumstances that resulted in the tragedy, have exposed how the Iranian regime treats its citizens and pushed the country's youth to its absolute limits. President Raisi has already fostered a volatile environment by failing to tackle the economic crisis and youth unemployment, and repression against women through the criminalization of "immodest dressing" has only amplified discontent. Iranians cannot blindly comply with these orders any longer.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by Tehran Times. Iran's riots have nothing to do with the death of Amini but everything to do with the enemies of Iran exploiting the tragic event for the purpose of creating chaos in the country. This was simply the right excuse at the right time. However, Iranians can count on their government to remain firm in its opposition to meddling from Western hegemony and Israel's Zionist regime.

Predictions