Iran Protests Continue and Surge, So Does Regime’s “Stability Rhetoric”
Written by
Mohammad Sadat Khansari
Protests expand and continue across Iran despite the regime’s attempts to quash this uprising, laying bare the regime’s vulnerable spots more than ever. While many observers believe protests have morphed into a revolution, officials continue to declare the situation as “normal” and “under control.” Denying the undeniable and stubborn facts on the ground has caused authorities to make contradictory remarks.
“Provinces are in good situation, and we do not have unrest and riots anymore. Yet, there are some sabotage efforts,” Majid Mir-Ahmadi, the political deputy of the Interior Minister, was quoted as saying on Saturday by the state-run Tasnim News Agency.
By “sabotage efforts,” Mir-Ahmadi perhaps refers to the ongoing torching of the regime’s symbols and banners across Iran by defiant youth.
“Thank God, the Interior Minister has declared riots have ended,” Ahmad Khatami, the Friday Prayer leader of Tehran, claimed on October 21.
Since the “stability” rhetoric and claiming “victory” starkly contrasts the reality of surging protests, regime authorities reject their own claims in their statements.
“I declared the unrest ended on September 24. But its consequences might take a while to settle. As for the Special Forces, we have quelled the sedition,” Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) Brigadier General Hossein Karami, head of the regime’s Special Forces, claimed on October 15, as quoted by the state-run Entekhabt website.
Khatami, who had claimed “the riots have ended,” soon reversed himself by saying, “These deviltries continue as long as we stay [in power.].”
Authorities try to boost the morale of their demoralized forces facing a volatile society and a population yearning for regime change at all costs. The Iranian Resistance revealed a highly confidential directive order by the IRGC’s commander-in-chief, Hossein Salami, on October 11, which reflects the regime’s utter fear of the nationwide uprising.
Salami orders IRGC commanders to be “alert and brief the forces on the ground, including employed forces, Basij agents, as well as intelligence sources.”
Sona Samsami: Tehran’s latest game plan to advance its terrorist agenda by prioritizing mercenaries & stepping up its regional mayhem is intended to project power & cover its fundamental weakness inside #Iran . https://t.co/SQK66mxW7d #ProxyNavalTerror
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 2, 2022
He also orders IRGC commanders to “refrain from deploying demoralized, disaffected, and disgruntled personnel in riot control operations and prevent their participation in operations from calming the situation.”
The main reason for the officials’ contradictory remarks and propaganda is the regime’s weakness in accepting the Iranian people’s revolution and acknowledging this reality. Any acknowledgment of the nationwide and incessant protests and the establishment’s socio-political instability will cause major rifts at the top of the regime.
The primary objective of Iran’s ruling theocracy is quashing this uprising and dodging its existential threat to the regime. Denying these protests while violently suppressing them is part of the IRGC modus operandi.
For instance, the clerical regime has been brutally oppressing members and supporters of its main opposition group, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK). Any contact with the MEK is punishable by death in Iran under the mullahs’ regime. Yet, Tehran and its apologists in the West have never stopped blaring propaganda against the MEK, bashing it as a “fringe group” with little to no popular support. Authorities see and try to oppress the growing trend of youth joining the MEK’s “Resistance Units” network. Yet, they cannot help but stop their propaganda against the Iranian opposition.
The current uprising, which has MEK’s Resistance Units at its forefront, poses a real danger to the regime’s existence. Thus, the mullahs resort to and exacerbate their propaganda to minimize these demonstrations and their effects.
Unlike what Tehran tries to portray, its oppressive apparatus, including IRGC, is weak, and this fact was laid bare by the bravery of Iranian protesters who confronted the regime’s thugs using their bare hands. The world community should not fall for the regime’s “stability” rhetoric. Doing so would only allow Tehran to continue its killing spree with impunity. The international community should embrace the inevitable by recognizing the Iranian people’s right to self-defense and self-determination of their future.
With the Iranian people’s uprising, the clerical regime has entered its final phase and as such any investment in this regime is doomed to fail. It is time for the international community to stand with the Iranian people and not with the clerical regime#IranProtests#Iran
— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) February 24, 2018
Iran Protests Continue and Surge, So Does Regime’s “Stability Rhetoric”