The Iranian cabinet has approved payment of long-standing debts to truck drivers and hauliers, officials said after a weekly government meeting. The announcement came on the sidelines of a cabinet session where ministers also outlined plans to attract private investment for highway projects and reaffirmed progress on the Tehran–Mashhad high-speed rail.
Iran pays truckers debt
Farzaneh Sadegh, Minister of Roads and Urban Development, told reporters that the government decided at the meeting to settle obligations to truck drivers and transport companies. She said clearing those debts should relieve operational pressure on the logistics sector and help stabilise supply chains.
Sadegh added that completion of major motorway projects will require substantial private participation. “The private sector will supply the bulk of financing for motorways,” she said, adding that talks with potential private partners are under way. She also confirmed that authorities are pursuing the high-speed rail link between Tehran and Mashhad with renewed focus.
The announcement aims to calm complaints from hauliers who had pressed for payment of outstanding claims. Settling these liabilities is likely to improve cash flow for transport firms and support wider economic activity, particularly in sectors dependent on road freight.
Cyber defences and digital policy
Also present at the cabinet gathering, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Sattar Hashemi, described a major cyber attack on Iran’s communications infrastructure earlier in the week. He said the assault originated from more than 120,000 distinct sources worldwide and specifically targeted one national operator.
According to Hashemi, the attack was fully repelled through a combination of international internet service provider cooperation and domestic technical capacity. “The episode could have caused serious disruption, but specialists contained the threat without creating a crisis,” he said. The minister noted the incident temporarily consumed part of the country’s bandwidth, which may have contributed to recent reports of slower internet speeds.
Hashemi also announced a plan to centralise licensing for artificial intelligence operators and service providers, with the process to be delegated to the private sector under state supervision. He said unified AI services will be provided to research centres, government and industry, and that the policy is expected to accelerate AI development in Iran.
Budget, wages and policy alignment
Government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani emphasised that discussions over preferential exchange rates are framed as an adjustment to subsidy delivery rather than a full removal. She said the aim is to redirect supporting payments to ensure household purchasing power is preserved.
Hamid Pourmohammadi, head of the Planning and Budget Organisation, said the government shares parliament’s intent to raise public sector wages but stressed that any increase must avoid fuelling inflation. He said the government is examining realistic revenue projections and will not include speculative income in the budget.
Pourmohammadi added that talks with trade and business groups covered requests for higher infrastructure spending and measures to support production. He highlighted that most small businesses enjoy tax exemptions and that tax receipts this year have been largely driven by state-owned firms.
Ministers characterised the cabinet session as one of coordination across economic, digital and infrastructure policy. The combined measures — debt settlement for transporters, private financing for roads, high-speed rail progress and strengthened cyber and AI frameworks — aim to shore up services and sustain growth while authorities finalise next year’s budget proposals with parliament.
Key Takeaways:
- Cabinet approves payment of long-standing debts to truck drivers, easing tensions in the transport sector.
- Government seeks private investment for highway projects and pursues Tehran–Mashhad high-speed rail.
- Major cyber attack from over 120,000 sources was repelled; ministers pledge stronger digital defences.
- Officials outline AI licensing to private operators and ongoing talks with parliament on wage increases and the budget.
