Middle East Research and Information Project

Critical Coverage of the Middle East Since 1971

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Mohammad Ali Kadivar

Mohammad Ali Kadivar is associate professor of sociology and international studies at Boston College.

Rethinking Political Change in Iran from Protest to War
Striking oil workers at South Pars field in Bushehr province on Tuesday, November 4, 2025. Image courtesy of Drop Site News.
Iran

Rethinking Political Change in Iran from Protest to War

One month before the United States and Israel began the current war against Iran on February 28, 2026, mass uprisings within the country resulted in the severest government crackdown in its modern history. Protests and repression were accompanied by calls for outside intervention. US President Donald Trump declared on January
Mohammad Ali Kadivar • 11 min read
Labor Organizing on the Rise Among Iranian Oil Workers
The Mahshahr petrochemical plant in Khuzestan province. Raheb Homavandi/ReutersFigure 1. The sources of the raw data for these maps are news articles published in Hrana, Akhbar-e Rooz, and Radio Zamaneh. The 2020 map covers strikes reported from August 1 to September 6, 2020, and the 20201 map covers strikes from June 19 to August 2, 2021.Figure 2. Monthly protests reported in ILNA.Figure 3. Monthly number of counties with protest reported in ILNA.
Current Analysis

Labor Organizing on the Rise Among Iranian Oil Workers

Oil workers in Iran have been striking since June 19, 2021, leading some observers to ask whether protests are becoming routine within the existing political system or are a prelude to a bigger uprising. The authors explain what makes these strikes remarkable.
Mohammad Ali Kadivar, Peyman Jafari, Mehdi Hoseini, Saber Khani • 14 min read