Shopkeepers down shutters in protest-hit Iran amid strike

TEHRAN, Iran

Many shops were closed in major Iranian cities, including the capital Tehran, on Monday amid a nationwide strike.

The strike came in response to a three-day shutdown call given by an anonymous group as the country has been rocked by sweeping protests triggered by the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini in police custody.

According to reports, many shopkeepers downed their shutters in response to the countrywide strike action in Tehran and other cities, including Isfahan, Tabriz and Shiraz. Some videos were also circulated online showing shops closed.

Former Iranian football captain and entrepreneur Ali Daei, who has been vocal in his criticism of the government in recent months, closed his chain of jewelry shops and restaurants on Monday, according to reports.

However, state media dismissed the reports, saying the shutdown call elicited little to no response from traders, especially in Tehran.

The latest shutdown call comes almost 20 days after a similar strike, which also saw shops being closed in many cities.

The previous strike was marred by violence as a series of incidents of shootings and knife attacks on policemen and paramilitary forces were reported in the cities of Khuzestan, Isfahan, and Mashhad.

On the first day of the latest three-day strike, no fresh incidents of violence were reported.

The shutdown comes a day after Iran's attorney general Mohammad Jafar Montazeri said the morality police has been "put on the standstill," fueling speculation that the force has been completely dissolved amid months-long protests.

Earlier this week, a security body affiliated with Iran's Interior Ministry said more than 200 people, including security forces and protesters, have been killed in the unrest.

Iran has blamed the US and its European allies for "fomenting riots" in the country, while the Western governments have accused Tehran of suppressing protests.