Protests in Iran: Demonstrators ignore warnings from the regime

Status: 10/30/2022 4:48 p.m

The threat of the dreaded Iranian Revolutionary Guard yesterday was very clear: the “unrest” in the country must stop immediately. The opponents of the regime were not intimidated by this – there were new protests, especially at universities.

The threat was not to be misunderstood: the demonstrators in Iran should not “excess the patience of the system. Today is the last day of the unrest,” said the commander of the Revolutionary Guards, Hussein Salami, on Saturday. Although he left open the consequences of not heeding his warning, this was not necessary either, because the Revolutionary Guards are notorious and feared in Iran for their brutality.

Nevertheless, thousands of students continued their protests against the authoritarian leadership on Sunday night. Security forces used violence against hundreds of students on a campus in the pilgrimage city of Mashhad in the northeast of the country, eyewitnesses said. There were also protests against the course of the government and the Islamic system of rule in many other cities.

Videos from social networks again showed violent clashes between students and security forces. One of the videos shows close-range shots at students at a university in the capital, Tehran. You can hear them in other videos. However, such recordings are very difficult to verify.

Further escalation feared

Observers of the situation in Iran expect that Salami’s threat must be understood as a last warning to end the protests immediately. Otherwise, it is feared, the military and Revolutionary Guards could soon be used against the protesters – and the situation could dramatically worsen again. Even more deaths and arrests could result.

Human rights organizations estimate that around 250 people have been killed and more than 10,000 arrested in the protests so far. The trigger for the massive nationwide protests was the death of the 22-year-old Iranian Kurd Mahsa Amini in police custody in mid-September. At the time, she was accused of violating the Iranian dress code.

Significantly more money for security forces

Iran’s religious leaders have branded the protests – primarily the US and Israel – a “foreign conspiracy” and are ignoring the protesters’ demands. However, the protests that have been going on for weeks are increasing the pressure on the regime and the security forces in the country. Parliament has now decided on a massive wage increase for the security forces: they are to receive 20 percent more in the future and thus be better off than civilian employees of the state.

Baerbock promises realignment of Iran policy

The protests triggered a wave of solidarity worldwide – including in Germany. This weekend alone, thousands of people took to the streets in cities like Cologne, Berlin and Düsseldorf. Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said in report from Berlin, The German government will also realign its Iran policy in view of the “terrible situation”: Among other things, another package of sanctions will be launched and it will be checked whether the Revolutionary Guards can be classified as a “terrorist organization”. However, Baerbock refused to put the nuclear deal with Tehran on hold. “An Iran with a nuclear bomb will bring even more harm to the people of the country and the region,” she said.

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