People across Khuzestan, from Ahwaz to Mahshahr to Sheyban, are now protesting a programme aired by the Regime’s state-run TV (read: propaganda network), which many see as racist.

The Regime cracked down violently on protesters, as they always do. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) reported that protesters in Ahwaz were savagely attacked by the surprise Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on March 30.

The NCRI statement read: “Police mercenaries and anti-riot guards threw tear gas and attacked demonstrators in the city of Kut Abdullah [southern suburbs of Ahwaz] with batons and opened fire at the crowd. Clashes between people and repressive forces continued for hours.”

Additional Khuzestan protests

Khuzestan is also facing a huge number of protests from workers who have not been paid salaries or received benefits for months. Many of those businesses are headed by former commanders of the IRGC, in an attempt to skirt international sanctions, or those close to high-ranking government members.

The majority of the businesses have gone bankrupt and now the workers are paying the price. Given the business owner’s close ties to Iranian government, many protesters are arrested and jailed, which leaves their family unable to buy food.

One such protest involves thousands of workers at the Haft-Tapeh sugarcane Company, while another involves farmers, who were once strong supporters of the Regime. The farmers even called on Iranian President Hassan Rouhani to resign.

Environment

Another challenge for Iran is environmental disasters to have turned into public health crises due to inaction, mismanagement, and corruption by the Regime. They dried natural water resources in order to make the land combat ready during the Iran-Iraq war and the people are suffering drought and increased dust storms now.

Reza Shafiee, wrote on Al Arabiya: “In his New Year message, Khamenei tried to reduce the country’s problems to some minor difficulties in the economy. But he intentionally overlooked other problems. Khamenei has problems with his neighbours, has proliferated ballistic missiles, and has unleashed IRGC and Quds Force in countries such as Syria, Iraq and Yemen. In the process he has destroyed his own country.”

He continued: “The world should have realized by now that the Iran has neither any intentions nor the ability to coexist with others. The EU bloc countries will be much better off not flocking Tehran’s dead horse.”