Analysis by PMOI/MEK
Iran, October 2, 2018 – The Iranian regime, terrified of the Iranian opposition People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) linking with the ongoing protests and strikes across the country, is resorting to deceptive and oppressive measures against Iran’s protesters.
“Truckers must know that the [social media] channels that distribute these calls for protests and strikes are linked to the [PMOI/MEK] and the anti-revolution fronts. They have provoked a few people on Telegram and other social media networks, to throw rocks and place road blocks, disrupting the truckers’ activities and even scaring them,” said the political deputy of Khorasan Razavi Province in northeast Iran.
Sadegh Amoli Larijani, head of the Iranian regime’s so-called judiciary, also expressed concerns in this regard. His viewpoints are considered those of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
“The enemy may be able to literally hire a few people to take advantage of popular demands and divert some protests. We must be aware and take timely and urgent action to resolve the problems and prevent the enemy from riding these waves. The truckers’ demands have nothing to do with road security and destroying vehicles. Such measures show that other currents are seeking to take advantage of popular demands,” he explained.
Mohseni Ejei, spokesman of the regime’s judiciary, went one step further and resorted to threats.
“Those who are currently providing services in the road and transportation field are people who unfortunately are provoked by the enemy and disrupting the transportation order. Those people resorting to such measures, especially those who threaten the truckers and at times place roadblocks before them, will be severely punished. All public prosecutors have been instructed to not show any tolerance in arresting these people. They should be punished immediately,” he said.
With the truckers continuing and expanding their protests and strikes, the Iranian regime is also showing signs of giving in to their demands.
“$200 million in September was spent to provide tires for the truckers. Arrangements are made to spend another $80 million each month,” said Mohammad Shariatmadari, the Iranian regime’s industry minister. He is known among the Iranian people as a shameless liar.
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The truck drivers’ nationwide strike in Iran entered its 9th consecutive day on Monday, spreading to new cities and the four corners of the country. Despite the fact that Iranian regime authorities arrested over 120 of the protesting drivers, parallel to the mullahs’ judiciary authorities and the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) resorting to voicing verbal threats, the drivers are courageously continuing their strike and paying no attention to the regime’s threatening measures.
The nationwide strike of the truckers, entering its second week, is intensifying the crisis inside the clerical regime whose leaders are increasingly horrified from its continuation and spread. In this regard, Iranian regime attorney general Mohammad Jafar Montazeri is now threatening to execute the strikers.
"According to the information we have, in some routes, some of the cities, there are elements who are provoking some of the truckers, or possibly blocking them and creating problems for them. They are subject to the rules and regulations of banditry and the punishment of the bandits according to the law is very severe, sometimes resulting in the death penalty,” he said on September 29th as cited by Iranian regime state media.
#Iran
Oct 1
Thousands of truck drivers in over 250 cities across all of the country's 31 provinces are continuing their courageous strike.Arak – Yazd – Najaf Abad – Shahr-e Kord – Fouldadshahr – East Azerbaijan Province – Karaj – Rezvanshahr – Mobarakeh – Bukan#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/56xlDbDvva
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) October 1, 2018
At the same time, Ali al-Qasimehr, the chief justice of the Fars Province, accused the strikers of "corruption on earth," and IRGC Brigadier General Mohammad Sharafi, one of the commanders of State Security Forces, threatened the protesters with harsh action.
However, two days earlier, the Fars Province Transportation Director General had called the strike of truck drivers as rumors.
"It's been a few days that rumors about truck drivers’ strike have been circulating in the media and cyberspace. This misuse of the opponents from the needs of the truck drivers to create crisis in the country is clear for every Iranian,” he sais, as reported by the IRGC-affiliated Fars news agency.
IRGC Colonel Kavos Mohammadi, a deputy of the Fars provincial police force, described the strikers as "disrupters of the order."
"Following the disrupting acts of some of these people on the roads of Fars … After the visible and invisible patrol of officers, 22 thugs and disrupters of public order on the roads were arrested and, after filing a case, they were sent to the judiciary authorities and through them to the prisons. Police will deal with sensitivity and vigilance with the smallest insecurity factors in coordination with the judiciary, and the process of confronting with the disrupters of order and security of the roads and axes of Fars province will continue on a daily basis. The police monitor and control all the roads in this province, visibly and invisibly, and resolutely deal with all elements of disrupters of order and security in these areas," he explained to the regime’s official IRNA news agency.
#Iran
Sep 30
Thousands of truck drivers in over 250 cities throughout all of the country's 31 provinces are continuing their strike.Zarrinshahr – Dorud – Zanjan – Sari – Pir Bakaran – Shiraz – Kermanshah#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/p9Qc2Uoph6
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) September 30, 2018
Mrs. Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the Iranian Resistance, saluted the strikers throughout Iran, describing the vindictive threats of the clerics against the dignified and hardworking drivers as a reflection of the growing crisis of the clerical regime, and said that the ruling mullahs were the biggest thieves in the history of Iran, and that they neither want nor can respond to legitimate demands of striking drivers.
She called on all human rights organizations to take action to release the arrested and urged the general public, especially the youth, to support the strikers. She added that realization of these demands is only possible with the establishment of democracy and people's sovereignty. A regime that threatens to execute its working people due to a strike must be rejected by the international community.
