Iran Focus

London, 15 Jan – No matter what the Iranian Regime would have you believe, the protests in Iran are not over and they are not being organised by foreign governments.

Human rights activist Heshmat Alavi wrote on Track Persia: “[This] is a struggle between the Iranian people literally fed up with this regime and a dictatorship weakened from domestic unrest, internal rifts and international pressures.”

Of course, the weak Iranian Regime is quick to blame others—specifically the Iranian opposition People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) – because it can’t deal with the current protests, which are totally different from those seen before.

Iran Focus

London, 13 Jan – Iran has recently been rocked by demonstrations that began over frustration about crushing poverty and widespread unemployment, but quickly changed to calls for the expulsion of the regime.

While smaller-scale protests, with more limited demands, had occurred almost continuously over the previous year, the strength of the protests came as a surprise. However, the regime’s response was shocking.

The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) released figures on the human cost of the first nine days, this past Friday. Drawing on information provided by the network of the Mujahedin-e Khalq (MEK), the NCRI’s leading constituent group, they determined that at least 50 people had been killed and another 3,000 arrested. Public acknowledgement of some of the killings and the arrests have Iranian authorities admitting to 500 arrests in Tehran alone.

Iran Focus

London, 12 Jan – The current Iranian protests are notable for two main reasons: geographic scope and range of grievances. Unlike previous protests, these are mainly populated by the working class, taking place in almost every city and town in Iran, without a singular cause.

In fact, here are just a few of their complaints:

Iran Focus

London, 12 Jan – Back in 2009, when the Iranian people protested the rigged election in the streets of Tehran, the US did nothing. As a result, many protesters were imprisoned and killed.

Now, the Iranian people have taken to the streets again- albeit it all across the country this time- and it is time for the US (and the world) to act, but what should they do?

Iran Focus

London, 12 Jan – On Wednesday, just ahead of a meeting between several European leaders and Iranian leaders in Brussels, people took to the streets to protest. The meeting, to be held the next day is with regards to the Iran nuclear deal.

Representing Iran was foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. The meeting comes just a day before the United States President Donald Trump was due to make a decision about reimposing oil sanctions that were lifted as one of the terms of the nuclear deal.