As the Iranian regime funnels money to Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization and its proxies, the Iranian people are protesting the hardships and shortages they face at home.
Security forces have fatally shot dozens of unarmed civilians during protests that erupted in Khuzestan on July 15, and have since spread to Tehran, Karaj, Tabriz and Esfahan, along with smaller protests in a few other cities.
Tehran has deployed special riot police and has brought additional IRGC forces to the region.
Chants of “Down with the Dictator” and “Death to Khamenei” (Iran’s supreme leader) were heard at many protests, including those in central Tehran.
On Tuesday (July 27), protesters took to the streets in Baharestan near Esfahan, where they tore up and burned a banner of Khamenei in the town square.
One of the main slogans chanted in protests that have roiled the country over the past two years is “Neither Gaza nor Lebanon; I would die for Iran”, in a clear sign of discontent with the regime’s misplaced priorities.
Iran’s regional interference and expansionist policies have cost the Iranian people dearly, with many expressing anger that money funneled to the IRGC’s Quds Force and its regional proxies could have been better spent at home.
Even on the brink of bankruptcy, Tehran continues to interfere in the region and to fund and train its proxy groups in Iraq, Lebanon, Yemen and Syria.
Meanwhile, the Iranian people are enduring extreme economic hardship that has only worsened with the coronavirus pandemic.
Ahvaz’s Arab minority has long protested the regime’s policies that it says aim to displace them and are focused on suppressing the Ahvazi people. But these are few and far between compared to the magnitude of the recent popular protests.
The majority of the population is asking for water, work, vaccines and proper medical care.
But instead of addressing their demands, the regime has suppressed the protests via violent crackdowns and by disrupting internet service to block communication with the outside world.
Source: Al-Mashareq
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