Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei appointed Major General Mohammad Bagheri, Chief of Staff of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) and not a doctor, to establish a coronavirus combat command. Bagheri began enforcing draconian measures earlier this month, including the evacuation of streets and roads by security forces.
The MEK, who shared footage of these evacuations, including showing the deployment of armed officers to Gilan Province, one of the provinces hit worst by the virus, explained that this was just an attempt to suppress possible protests.
So far, 10,900 have died from the coronavirus in Iran, but many of these have not been reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) in an attempt by the regime to look like they’re in control. The regime hid the real numbers during the initial outbreak in Qom because they wanted to prevent low voter turnout in the elections and encourage people to come out for the revolution anniversary. This is a complete departure from the way it is being handled by the rest of the world, who want to enforce social distancing by closing all non-essential businesses and are using the military to hand out aid or food to citizens and hospitals, rather than intimidating them.
The MEK said that by the time the regime announced coronavirus has hit Iran, 50 people had died and it was impossible to contain the outbreak.
The regime claims that this unofficial martial law will contain the virus, but Iranians and the MEK are skeptical, given the regime’s 40 years of lies and complete disregard for the health and welfare of its people.
After all, the regime covered up the virus threat at the beginning, allowing the virus to spread, and refused to quarantine the city of Qom or release non-violent prisoners to slow the spread of the virus. The MEK said the regime has failed to take even basic precautions and now it claims that it will protect the Iranian people “with the same soldiers and tanks it used to kill 1,500 people just last November during the anti-regime uprisings”.
The MEK wrote: “This is not a regime that has earned the trust of its people, and it has once again chosen the worst possible way to deal with a crisis of its own making.”
Opposition leader Maryam Rajavi explained that the regime’s martial law is counterproductive.
She wrote: “These futile efforts will intensify the Iranian people’s anger and hatred over the despicable and oppressive velayat-e faqih system, which has done nothing but committing murder and plundering people’s wealth over the past 40 years. The Iranian people have stated unequivocally ‘Our enemy is here’ and ‘Khamenei and Rouhani are our Coronavirus.’”
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