Iran State Media Fear a Repeat of “Bitter Incidents”

Written by
Mohammad Sadat Khansari

Iran, Coronavirus

A glance at the Iranian regime’s state media outlets once again shows the regime’s utter fear of a repeat of the major Iran protests, calling them “bitter incidents.”

The regime’s wrong economic policies, the coronavirus outbreak and the mullahs’ intention to use COVID-19’s rising casualties to prevent an uprising have increased the possibility of another nationwide uprising.

Despite the coronavirus outbreak and its rising death toll, the Iranian regime has now reopened schools. Many of the regime’s own health experts have protested this decision. Yet, having its foundations rattled during the November protests, the regime has showed its intention to use the COVID-19 crisis to control the society. The recent decision by the regime’s president Hassan Rouhani to reopen schools and his absence during the reopening ceremony have very much terrified the regime’s state-run media that this move could trigger protests.

In this regard, the state-run Ebtekar daily on September 6 wrote: “It seems that Hassan Rouhani, for obvious and hidden reasons, has distanced himself from society and people as much as he could. But neither he nor his advisors notice that this behavior is the final nail in the coffin of the people’s trust. They do not understand, or they ignore, the devastating consequences of this action. It is good for president’s all security entourage to remember that since November 2019 until now what strange things have happened in our society.”

The Resalat daily wrote on Sunday: “The society should be informed and convinced about this issue [reopening schools]. Opposite to this is what the highest executive authority [Rouhani] on Friday morning, simultaneous with people, gets informed about the fuel price-hike [which sparked the November protests]. So, naturally, the society resists such a decision and due to some shortcomings, and some parties misusing the situation, those bitter incidents happen again.”

In addition, the state-run Vatan-e Emrooz daily on Sunday wrote: “The first time that Rouhani’s government witnessed a rift between its decision making and the society’s choice goes back to the first year of its presidency and the elimination of governmental subsidies. Then, the government faced more important rifts, which were finally considered as purging the last of the public’s trust in the government. The issue of raising the fuel price resulted in highly damaging protests, that many government officials and even governorates had warned about.”

“Now, the society’s negative reaction to the school reopening plan, and the defiance of some of the students’ families in this regard, should be considered as a serious warning about the beginning of a ‘no government’ era,” Vatan-e Emooz continued.

 

The Iranian regime’s officials, particularly Rouhani and the Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, forced people back to work, held the university entrance exams, and now have reopened schools, under the pretext of “economic” and “social” hardships, which according to the regime, are caused by the sanctions.

The reality is that mullahs’ institutionalized corruption, plundering of the national wealth and systematic oppression are the real reason for all the economic and social crisis.

In this regard, the state-run Arman daily on Sunday wrote: “What happened to the missing oil rigs? Where did they end up? Where did the $18 billion that Erdogan said, in his parliament, that ‘came from Iran and God sent it to us’ come from? After all, there are those who are aware of these issues. Now they say that a specific amount of currency has gone and not returned; when they know this information, why don’t they follow it up? They have the information of so many issues, yet they take no action. They control the situation, and what we do know is that the authorities are aware of it, but they do not seem to want to say anything about it.”

As to the social crisis, the Mostaghel daily on July 13 wrote: “The Government did not contain and control the coronavirus to relevantly control the anger of defiant people. But I wish that the suffering and illness of the people were not used as a cure for obliviousness and a means of revenge of the events of November and December.  This nation will not forget how it was abandoned during these bitter days. This will affect the upcoming incidents. Because soon, people will come to their table for eating, and their despair of an empty table will lead them to protest on busy streets.

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