Motorists across Iran sat for hours in sprawling gas station lines Saturday, and taxi drivers abandoned their routes in protest, as the regime’s fuel rationing scheme buckled under pressure — just hours before the anniversary of the 2019 crackdown Iranians call “Bloody November.”
Video shared on Telegram showed furious drivers at a gas station in the southern city of Kazeroun shouting at officials over the shortages. One Telegram account quoted Saturday relayed the mood on the ground: “To the officials: don’t mess with Kazeroun. This city has shown many times that it does not remain silent in the face of neglect and ignoring the demands of the people.”
The same account noted that “these days, long queues at gas stations in Kazeroun have become one of the main concerns of the people.”
Footage sent to Iran International from Evaz, in Fars province, showed cars lined up at night waiting to refuel amid shortages and climbing prices. Similar scenes — lines of vehicles stretching for miles — were captured in Bandar Abbas and Lordegan.
Further north in Ardabil, taxi drivers parked their cars in protest and refused to pick up passengers, leaving commuters stranded.
The shadow of 2019
Sunday marks seven years since the original “Bloody November.” Just after midnight on Nov. 15, 2019, Iran’s government abruptly hiked gasoline prices — from 10,000 to 15,000 rials per liter for the first 60 liters a month, then to 30,000 rials beyond that, increases of 50% and 300% respectively, overnight.
Nationwide unrest followed within hours, as Iranians blocked highways, burned banks and tore down images of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The Ayatollah ordered senior commanders to “do whatever it takes to end it,” triggering one of the harshest crackdowns in the Islamic Republic’s history. An estimated 1,500 Iranians were killed in less than two weeks.
To avoid a repeat, the government has held off on further price hikes, instead capping gasoline at 160 liters a month per vehicle through rationing.
A system under strain
A collapsing economy — driven by US sanctions, government corruption, and a US blockade on the Strait of Hormuz — has deepened fuel shortages and pushed tensions to the breaking point.
Until last month, Iranians who exhausted their monthly ration could still buy gas with a station’s
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