Protests continue to expand across Iran, and according to many observers, these demonstrations have morphed into a revolution. People call for regime change, and this wave of dissent continues despite the regime’s attempts to quash it. This is a testament to the fact that this uprising is organized.
What became evident during the current uprising is the role of the “Resistance Units” network associated with the Iranian opposition, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK).
MEK Resistance Units have been playing a significant role in shaping, guiding, and prolonging protests across the country, as acknowledged by many regime officials.
In recent years, the activities of Resistance Units have spread courage across the country and acted as a sledgehammer against the regime’s repression. Their operations in recent years, right under the noses of thousands of overt and covert agents, kept the fire of uprising aflame, despite the regime’s efforts to ground the entire Iranian nation using the Covid-19 pandemic and brutal oppression.
The following are a selection of the many reports of protests we have received from Resistance Units in different cities.
Report from Qolhak, Tehran—October
I was near Qolhak metro station and Shariati street. The situation was very tense. Security forces were afraid of people, rapidly firing tear gas canisters to disperse the crowd. They also used paintball and pellet guns against the people. There were two young men and several girls. I think they were members of the Resistance Units. One of them was their leader, and she told us to put the trash cans in the middle of the street. We set it on fire and chanted: “Death to the dictator, be it Shah or supreme leader.” We could see the fear in the security forces’ eyes. They called for backup, and a large number of forces were deployed to that location. They intended to overcome their fear by increasing their numbers.
Around 5:00 PM local time, Basij forces lined up on the sidewalk with sticks and clubs. A man was standing near me. He was shot under his eye. The leader took him to a nearby pharmacy to dress his wound. Another one was shot. He was laughing while we helped him. What a day! I had never experienced anything like it before.
Report from Naziabad, Tehran—October
I participated in Naziabad’s protests. IRGC forces were wearing plain clothes and were fully armed. They savagely attacked people, leading Basij forces to do the same. There were twice as many oppressive forces in Naziabad as the previous day. Yet, people, particularly youth, did not back down and defiantly chanted anti-regime slogans. From there, I went to Kianshahr. It was crowded, and I witnessed people skirmish with security forces. Locals managed to fight back and push back the oppressive forces. The security forces were terrified and opened fire blindly on protesters.
I also saw many women joining the protest. People participate in the demonstrations as families.
Report from Kermanshah—October
I was in the Dareh-Deraz neighborhood, a suburban area. People were fighting back against the fully armed security forces. They managed to outmatch four security forces, but two locals were killed. One of them was from Sarpol Zahab and had come to Kermanshah for business. After some hours of clashes, people forced the oppressive forces to flee.
Report from Parand, Tehran—November 7
The regime had deployed many security forces to Parand. We were around thirty members of a Resistance Unit. We set a tire on fire, and people soon joined us. We clashed with security forces and forced the anti-riot units to flee. They opened fire on the crowd with pellet guns, and a girl was wounded.
Report from Ekbatan, Tehran
There was a large crowd in Ekbatan. They were chanting slogans such as, “This is the year Seyed Ali [Khamenei] is overthrown.” A mullah and several Basij forces tried to chant slogans against what they called “rioters.” A brave woman stopped them and started chanting slogans against Khamenei, and people followed her by chanting “Death to the dictator” and “Death to Khamenei.” The mullah and Basij forces fled the scene.
Report from Yazd
We went to the Imamshahr neighborhood. The situation was very tense. The youth clashed with the anti-riot forces, using hit-and-run tactics. Fearing angry locals, the security forces change their position constantly. Many people supported protesters by honking their cars’ horns. This very much frustrated the security forces.
Report from Tehran
Fearing people, the regime has increased the security forces guarding the Radio Television and Khamenei’s office. Helicopters continue flying over these locations every day.
