No Internet, Heavy Gunfire, Mass Arrests: Protesters Keep Coming in Oil-Rich Iranian Cities” The gunfire began around nightfall in Golestan, the commercial heart of Ahvaz, the provincial capital of oil-rich— Khuzestan province.
The gunfire began around nightfall in Golestan, the commercial heart of Ahvaz, the provincial capital of oil-rich Khuzestan province.
For hours, residents reported the crackle of automatic weapons near the headquarters of Ahvaz’s Intelligence Department, where government media say detained protesters are first taken.
By then, Iran’s internet had been dark for three days. No one could upload videos. No one could call for help. And still, across Khuzestan province, thousands continued to pour into the streets.
“No one dared to film, but we were a flood,” said Sina, a 20-year-old resident of Ahvaz’s Zeytoon Karmandi neighborhood.
“It was apocalyptic,” he added. “They had deployed so many security forces that if we had stopped to think about what was happening, fear would have overcome us.
“But people my age from all the surrounding neighborhoods had come. Officers were firing tear gas and shooting, but the crowd kept getting bigger and bigger.”
What began on December 28 as scattered protests over currency collapse in Tehran has spread into one of Iran’s most widespread uprisings in years.
For four consecutive nights, demonstrators have filled the streets of Ahvaz, Abadan, Dezful, and other cities in Iran’s ethnically Arab southwest, openly calling for the government’s overthrow, even as security forces respond with escalating violence.
As furious protests enter their third week and bring Iran to the precipice of change, the country’s theocratic government is trying to survive by harshly cracking down on the widening demonstrations.
Iran’s ruling clergy have weathered huge protests many times before. But the long-standing regime now faces intensifying pressure as the swelling opposition movement demands substantive change.
The protests initially centered on economic grievances but have since evolved into a broader movement against the regime that has ruled Iran for decades.Trump has repeatedly expressed support for the protest movement and has at times even floated the idea of regime change in the country, which has long been adversarial to the US.
Iranians recieve texts warning them to ‘take care of their teenagers’ – report
Iranian police have sent text messages to residents in Tehran warning them “to take care of their youth and teenagers”, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
There’s a distinctly “Gen-Z” aspect to the ongoing protests in Iran, according to our defence analyst Professor Michael Clarke.
The messages could be interpreted as encouraging families not to let young people head to protests.
The message apparently reads:
“Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”
“Iran is looking at FREEDOM, perhaps like never before,” Trump posted to social media on Saturday. “The USA stands ready to help!!!”-CNN/Iranwire
Iranian police have sent text messages to residents in Tehran warning them “to take care of their youth and teenagers”, according to a report by Al Jazeera.
There’s a distinctly “Gen-Z” aspect to the ongoing protests in Iran, according to our defence analyst Professor Michael Clarke.
The messages could be interpreted as encouraging families not to let young people head to protests.
The message apparently reads:
“Given the presence of terrorist groups and armed individuals in some gatherings last night and their plans to cause death, and the firm decision to not tolerate any appeasement and to deal decisively with the rioters, families are strongly advised to take care of their youth and teenagers.”
