Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, November 19, 2019—As protests continue to rage in more than 100 cities across Iran, the regime’s state-run television admits that the scale of demonstrations is unprecedented. One broadcasting station described the situation as such:
“Sometimes, we think that atomic bombs are dangerous. What happened in the past days is like an atomic bomb. We wanted to do something positive. What did we do? If we detonated an atomic bomb in the people’s trust… What kind of method is this? You’re creating an environment to enrage the society…”
Demonstrations erupted after the regime declared a 50-350-percent price hike on the price of gasoline. According to the regime’s president Hassan Rouhani and other government officials, the move is meant to resolve a huge government budget deficit. Meanwhile, the people of Iran blame the regime’s corruption and expensive meddling in the countries of the region for their economic grievances and no longer want to pay the price of the regime’s corruption out of their pockets.
During the demonstrations, protesters called for the overthrow of the regime and chanted slogans against its leader, Ali Khamenei. Despite a brutal crackdown and the complete shutdown of internet services, the people continue their demonstrations in dozens of cities. In many areas, demonstrators have clashed with security forces and driven them back. In some cities, protesters managed to take control of several districts.
The show of resolve by the people of Iran to continue their protests and reclaim their rights have caused fear among regime officials. The members of the Majlis (parliament) expressed their terror from the outburst of the society.
MP Seyyed Hossein Naghavi Hosseini said on November 19, “The news we’ve received is that the prices of all goods are increasing. The rent prices of all transportation is increasing as well. The people are under pressure… We are sitting in the Majlis while hundreds of things are happening in the bazaar. There are demonstrations.”
Habibollah Keshtzar, another MP, said, “Behbehan has lost part of its public and private service units, banks and other city infrastructure, and more importantly its peace and security.”
Meanwhile, many regime officials are expressing their fear and consternation from the role of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and its increasing influence in shaping protests and uprisings in Iran.
Khamenei, who spoke on the November 17, said, “In these kinds of incidents, usually hooligans, hostile people, and wrongdoers enter the scene… sometimes, some youths get excited and join them and cause these kinds and corrupt things…
“In the past two days, that is two nights and a day that followed this affair, almost all hooligan centers in the world encouraged these acts against us, extending from despised and evil family of Pahlavi (the deposed Shah) to a collection of evil and criminal Monafeqin (a derogatory reference to the PMOI/MEK). They are continuously encouraging these kinds of hooliganisms in social media and other places…”
On the same day, Ali Shamkhani, the Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, said in a closed session of the SNSC that the MEK had incited events in the streets.
Hossein Ashtari, Commander of the State Security Forces said, “Our investigations indicate that instruction coming from counter-revolutionary and [PMOI/MEK] were the cause of these events. The country’s security and police institutions will identify these individuals and God willing they will be punished for their practices at the right time.”
Ironically, the regime constantly tries to portray the MEK as a fringe group and a cult that has no support and influence in Iran. But whenever there are protests and uprisings, Iranian officials are the first to admit that the MEK is Iran’s main opposition and the only real alternative to the mullahs’ rule.
