Gold sellers in the major city of Shiraz, situated in southern Iran, have closed shop and are still on strike. At Mollasadra Bazaar, one jeweler said, despite the regime’s intimidation tactics to force them to open their stores, jewelers have been steadfast in carrying on with their strike.
Stores were also closed at Ahmadi juncture, Mollasadra Street, and some other locations where the strikes began last Thursday.
According to obtained reports, in the central city of Esfahan, gold bazaars such as Meysami, Timcheh, Naqsh-e Jahan, and the Mellat mall at Charbagh, have shut down.
In the capital Tehran, gold bazaars at Shahriar and Varamin closed their shutters in support of others who started yesterday. They merchants say they will not end their strike until the government backs down from plans to raise taxes.
Tehran’s main gold bazaar and Bazaar-e Ahan are also continuing with their strike. Some carpet sellers have also closed their shops.
The government of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that it will not back down from demanding the full value-added tax up to the last cent.