New protests erupt across cities and towns in Iran

Protests have erupted once again in scores of Iranian cities and towns on Thursday, according to the network of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK). 

According to the MEK Young people chanted “death to the dictator” and “death to Khamenei” in Isfahan while people gathered in Enghelab (revolution) Square, and Azadi (freedom) square in the western city of Sanandaj and chanted “death to dictator.”

Protesters clashed with State Security Forces (SSF) and set an SSF kiosk on fire, the MEK said.

Authorities tried to disrupt the Internet connection in the city but clashes continued. Water cannons to disperse the crowd in Sanandaj.

In Kermanshah a woman reportedly started the protests. “Death to Khamenei” was chanted when plain-clothed security officers began arresting protesters.

Anti-riot forces who arrested 7 protesters in Kermanshah, were overrun by protesters forcing them to release the arrested, the MEK said.

In Tuyserkan at Hamedan province, Zarin Shahr at Isfahan province and Rasht in northern Iran clashes between people and security forces also erupted.

Despite the cold weather in Zarin Shahr and heavy presence of security forces, an anti-regime gathering took place at the main mosque of Masjed Azam where people chanted “Death to Khomeini, death to Khamenei”.

IRAN REGIME’S MILITARY OFFICIAL ADMITS TO LEADING ROLE OF THE MEK / PMOI IN RECENT UPRISINGS

by Mahmood Hakamian

“The protests that erupted recently across Iran involved setting fire to the State Security Force’s motorcycles, breaking the windows of religious seminaries in  and Zanjan, setting fire to police kiosks in Arak, opening fire on the IRGC with hunting rifles, assaulting a State Security Force officer with a brick….” according to Brig. Gen. Rasoul Sanai, Political Affairs Deputy for the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

 spoke about the behind the scenes developments of the recent unrest, “Their plan was to spread the riots from the surrounding areas to the capital (Tehran) because they believe owing to previous incidents in Tehran and major cities, Iran’s security and defense forces had been trained and gained the expertise to confront riotous actions. But in other cities the potential for inciting the public is much greater and the security forces have a lesser presence.”

He blamed the Iranian Resistance for the escalation of the protests, saying, “As such, the most serious clashes took place in Touyserkan (Hamedan Province) and several people were killed, including two people who attacked the prison and have yet to be identified. The leaders and those inciting the protests in this city were from the ‘Hypocrites’ (MEK or PMOI). They had come from other cities so as not to be identified. Those who were detained were pursued from the time of MEK incursion into western Iran in 1988….”

The Political Affairs Deputy continued, “Eighty percent of those arrested were under 30 years of age. There were several women among them, who are middle aged. In the 1980s, those who were leading MEK protests were mostly women. And now, the main chain of provocation and starting the protests were women. For example, four of these women caused the protests in the city of Ilam (western Iran). After they were detained, we realized they were not from Ilam….”

Sanai also claimed, “Similarly, those arrested in Kermanshah had come from the city of Karaj (near Tehran). Those who were from Bandar Abbas were arrested in Shiraz. These were the MEK who would go to the cities in an organized fashion and were guiding the slogans. The most radical and sacrilegious slogans, such as ‘they have used Islam as a ladder to harass the people, neither Islam, neither the Quran, let’s sacrifice both for Iran…” and added, “This shows how much they hate Islam and political religion. Directing attacks on military centers, like assaults on the State Security Force and Bassij bases were part of the planning by the MEK. They even attacked the prisons, which means they have their hands in prisons as well.”

http://iran-hrm.com/index.php/2018/01/24/iran-2-year-old-earthquake-survivor-dies-due-atrocious-living-condition/

Iran: 2-Year-Old Earthquake Survivor Dies Due To Atrocious Living Condition

Little 2-year-old Sarina died on January 18, 2018 after catching the flu in the western Iranian province of Kermanshah.

More than 70 days after the earthquake, her father says authorities refused to provide his family a trailer and little Sarina died of the freezing winter cold.

Speaking with the state-run ISNA news agency on January 24, Sarina’s father said: “High fever and repeated seizures worsened the condition of Sarina and there was not even a specialist at the city’s clinic. Subsequently her health deteriorated and she lost consciousness on January 17. We took her to a hospital where they could not do anything for my daughter due to shortage of specialist. The next day I took her to Kermanshah hospital but she died two hours later in my hands.”

Shahab Naderi, an outspoken MP who has criticized the authorities’ inadequate reaction to the November earthquake has said “four deaths from frostbite have been reported in the quake-stricken areas.”

He also gave news of at least 20 suicides after the recent earthquake, saying that the statistics are increasing day by day.

“People in rural areas are in very difficult conditions, and promises made by officials have not been fulfilled,” Naderi said in an interview with the state-run Khane Mellat news agency.

A recent controversial interview by an state TV reporter shows how more and more Kermanshah earthquake survivors are committing suicide due to dire living conditions. In the interview he asks people to help, forgetting to mention why the government has failed to provide meaningful aid?

A video recently posted on social media showed a man who reached the point of setting his entire family on fire due to their atrocious living conditions after the earthquake which left 30,000 homeless.

Malcolm: Sen. Frum stands tall against Iran's apologists

A handout photo provided by the office of Iranian President Hassan shows him (C) during a visit to the earthquake-hit area of Sarpol-e Zahab in Irans western province of Kermanshah.

By Candice Malcolm

Toronto Sun, November 15, 2017 - The Islamic Republic of Iran is, without a doubt, a malign regime. If you think that’s a controversial statement, consider the following facts.

Iran is the number one state sponsor of terrorism in the world, directly funding jihadist organizations, including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Taliban.

Iran has had its hand in deadly terrorist attacks against civilians, including the bombing of a Jewish community centre in Argentina in 1994, that killed 86 people.  

Iran doesn’t just support terrorist organizations, it sends its own military to fight alongside Shi’ite armies to undermine peace in neighbouring countries.

Iran is leading combat efforts in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen, causing chaos and bloodshed, and having a destabilizing impact in the region.

Iran: At least 450 died, 7,000 were injured and 70,000 left homeless by the powerful quake

The 7.3-magnitude earthquake that shook western Iran late Sunday night, November 12, 2017, has left at least 450 people dead, 7100 injured and over 70,000 people homeless in Kermanshah Province including in Qasr-e Shirin, Islamabad, Sarpol-e , Salas Babajani and . More than 500 villages have suffered damages in the earthquake which has been described as the world’s deadliest so far this year.

Water and power are out and hospitals do not have enough resources and facilities.

Some 240 of the dead are from Sarpol-e Zahab. The town has only one hospital which has been demolished with all patients and hospital staff buried under the rubble.

Eyewitnesses have described the situation as “disorganized.” There is not enough food, nor fuel and electricity is cut off. Many families have not been sheltered and there is fear that freezing cold could take more lives.

In fear of public fury and outrage, the clerical regime has been trying to conceal the true dimensions of damages and casualties.

Video: Powerful earthquake hits Iraq and Iran, killing more than 300

A man sits outside a damaged belonging following an earthquake in Sarpol-e Zahab county in Kermanshah, Iran Nov 13, 2017

BAGHDAD/ANKARA, Reuters, November 13, 2017 - At least 332 people were killed in Iran and Iraq when a magnitude 7.3 earthquake jolted the region on Sunday, state media in the two countries said, and rescuers were searching for dozens trapped under rubble in the mountainous area.

State television said more than 328 people were killed in Iran and at least 2,500 were injured. Local officials said the death toll would rise as search and rescue teams reached remote areas of Iran.

  Iran-Iraq Earthquake 7.3 Magnitude Concrete Structures Had Collapsed

The earthquake was felt in several western provinces of Iran but the hardest hit province was Kermanshah, which announced three days of mourning. More than 236 of the victims were in Sarpol-e Zahab county in Kermanshah province, about 15 km (10 miles) from the Iraq border.

by Jubin Katiraie

An earthquake, 7.3 magnitude near the Iraq-Iran border has killed more than 400 people and sent residents escaping their homes into the night, authorities said.

Iran’s western province bore the impact of the quake on Sunday night, with authorities saying the quake killed more than 407 people in the country and injured 6,700 up to know.

The quake was centred 19 miles (31km) outside the eastern Iraqi city of Halabja, according to the most recent measurements from the US Geological Survey.

Graphic locates epicentre of 7.3-magnitude earthquake on the border of Iran and Iraq

It struck at 9.48pm Iran time, just as people began retiring for the night.

It could be felt on the Mediterranean coast, some 660 miles (1,000km) away.

The earthquake struck 23.2km (14.4 miles) below the surface, a shallow depth that can amplify damage.

Iranian social media and news agencies showed images and videos of people fleeing their homes. More than 100 aftershocks followed.

The quake’s worst damage appeared to be in the town of Sarpol-e-Zahab in Kermanshah province, which sits in the Zagros Mountains that divide Iran and Iraq.

Kokab Fard, a 49-year-old housewife in Sarpol-e-Zahab, said she fled empty-handed when her apartment complex collapsed.

“Immediately after I managed to get out, the building collapsed,” she said. “I have no access to my belongings.”

Sarpol-e-Zahab residents said the power and water were out and telephone and mobile phone lines were spotty.

Strong earthquake hits Iraq and Iran, killing at least 210+Video & photos

A woman reacts next to a dead body following an earthquake in Sarpol-e Zahab county in Kermanshah, Iran November 13, 2017

BAGHDAD/ANKARA (Reuters) NOV. 12, 2017 - At least 210 people were killed in Iran and Iraq on Sunday when a powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake hit the region, state media in the two countries said, as rescuers searched for dozens trapped under rubble.

At least 207 people were killed in Iran, Behnam Saeedi, a spokesman for Iran’s National Disaster Management Organization, said on the state television. More than 1,700 were injured, he said.

the city of e-Zahab in western Iran

Officials expected the casualty toll to rise when search and rescue teams reached remote areas of Iran.

A quake registering a magnitude between 7 and 7.9 can inflict widespread and heavy damage. Moreover, many houses in rural areas of Iran are made of mud bricks that can crumble easily in a quake.