New York Times: Widespread strikes continued for a third day on Thursday at Tehran’s central bazaar, according to Iranian news sites, as merchants protested a proposed tax increase on their earnings.
The New York Times
World Briefing: Middle East
By ROBERT F. WORTH
Widespread strikes continued for a third day on Thursday at Tehran’s central bazaar, according to Iranian news sites, as merchants protested a proposed tax increase on their earnings. One merchant was arrested, the Jaras Web site reported, and some opposition Web sites reported that a merchant had been killed in a clash with the police. The merchants were angered by rumors of a 70 percent tax increase, but a government spokesman said Tuesday that this figure was a mistake and that the proposal was for a 30 percent increase.
Brian Nelson, the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, sees Iran's increased capacity to transport...
