Iran demonstrations & senior officials’ concerns over PMOI/MEK

Protests in Kazerun, southern Iran (File Photo)

 Demonstrations and strikes are continuing across Iran. Protesters are raising their voice over severe water and electricity shortages, and credit firm clients seeing their investments stolen by state-run outlets. Workers and teachers aren’t being paid, while prices are skyrocketing throughout the country, mainly due to severe ups and downs in the country’s currency value.

The people’s demonstrations are now being linked to the PMOI/MEK’s network of members and supporters inside Iran, and this is making senior regime officials extremely concerned over this organization’s growing influence across the country.

Conspiracy

Abdulrahim Mousavi, commander of Iran’s classic army, shed more light on the regime’s concerns of growing popular protests.

“This year it appears their agenda is based on psychological and economic warfare… we have to be very careful. We have to be careful about infiltrators and the enemies’ psychological warfare,” he said.

“July 12^th, 1988, was one of the most bitter last days of the [Iran-Iraq] war. The [PMOI/MEK], with an arranged and yet very simple plan, rode the wave of psychological warfare and began causing rifts among our forces,” he said in remarks published by the Revolutionary Guards Quds Force-affiliated Tasnim news agency.

Brigadier General Taghi Mehri, head of Iran’s traffic police also made similar comments.

“2018 is a very important year. In the current circumstances, it is the duty of all of us senior officials from all ranks to confront these pressures and the enemies’ conspiracies… The [PMOI/MEK] have blueprinted a conspiracy against the state,” he said.

Anti-regime slogans

The regime’s Friday prayer imams in various cities also voiced increasing concerns over the PMOI/MEK’s growing influence and the threat of new uprisings against regime.

“The anti-revolutionaries are wishing the revolution doesn’t reach its 40^th anniversary. The enemies have launched a war aiming to create economic disintegration, unrest, mayhem and the state crumbling down,” said Arafi, Friday prayer imam in the city of Qom, central Iran.

“… Under these pressures imposed on us, there are times that paychecks arrive late, currency rates fluctuate, money smuggling and such issues are added to the water problem and other issues… there are those who seek their demands, and the enemy is looking for these exact opportunities… They come and voice anti-government slogans and divert the public’s attention for other purposes,” he adds.

Another revolution

Emad Afrugh, a former member of the Iranian regime parliament, acknowledged the society’s powder keg circumstances, the threat of a new uprising and the PMOI/MEK’s influence.

“It is painful for us that the [PMOI/MEK] and [U.S. President Donald] Trump are threatening our state. Contradiction in our slogans and actions will render another revolution. Pretending will result in disappointment and render new popular movements,” he said in an interview with the state-run Asr-e Iran daily.

Iran: Demonstrations of Educators, Workers, Retirees and Looted People in Tehran and Across the Country

In Mashhad, looted people protested against the Caspian Branch on Khayyam Street.

On Wednesday February 21, 2018, Tehran and other cities witnessed protests held by educators, workers, retirees and looted people of government institutions including Caspian, Afzal Toos, Arman Vahdat and others.
An important part of the protesters in front of the parliament was the looted people who were chanting slogans of: “They are using Islam, to pound the people”; “Larijani is a judge, he is playmate with the thieves”; “the government betrays; Parliament supports it”; “n o other nation has ever seen such a shameless government”.

The looted members of the Arman Vahdat state institution from different cities, especially Ahvaz, participated in the rally.

The retired educators, who were among the demonstrators in front of the regime's Parliament, were chanting: “livelihood, dignity, is our inalienable right”, “we will not rest, until we get our rights”, “political prisoner must be freed”, “imprisoned teacher must be freed”, “the teacher is behind bars, the classroom is empty”. They were saying while the minimum wage set by the regime itself is four million tomans ($800), they are paid less than one million tomans and are unable to provide the basic needs for themselves and their families. The protesters, in whom women played a significant role, had banners reading: “Unity, awakening, not poverty not unemployment”, “bread, housing, freedom”, “effective insurance and free treatment is our absolute right”, “the looters of the short-term pension funds must be fired”, “the fight against corruption and embezzlement ensures the legal and welfare protection of retirees.”
The retired workers protesting in front of the parliament, all of whose rights and salaries were lost by the so-called social security organization of the regime, had a banner in their hands reading: The workers' community has no savior.

At the same time, looted victims of Caspian in Rasht, Mashhad, Parsabad, Ardebil and Abhar protested to get their deposits back. In Rasht, protested threw paint balls at the Caspian Golsar Branch glasses and tossed tomatoes and eggs to it

.
In Parsabad, Ardebil, looted people gathered and protested in the Caspian Branch, and a confrontation between the protesters and the staff took place.
In Mashhad, looted people protested against the Caspian Branch on Khayyam Street. They chanted: Caspian has stolen, the government has supported;
In Islamshahr, the looted people of the Asr Novin Institute protested in front of Azad University to get back their deposits.

About 300 workers gathered in protest against the non-accountability of social security in front of the old Parliament building of the regime in Tehran.
Workers at Kisson Company in Assalouyeh gathered for the third consecutive day in protest to non-payment of their five months' salary.
Erin Mitsubishi's workers and depositors gathered in front of the company in West Tehran in protest of the looting of their property.
In Gorgan, bakeries gathered in front of one of the centers of the industry, mining and trade organization in protest of the lack of job security.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran