In an online conference on March 18, Iran’s Defense Minister Amir Hatami admitted to the growing opposition to the Islamic Republic regime in the Middle East. He implicitly expressed his concerns over anti-regime developments in the region and across the globe.
“Regional developments like the change of the Iraqi government, the ‘assassination’ of Qassem Soleimani (former chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – IRGC Quds Force) and IRGC Brigade Mohsen Fakhrizadeh (the father of Iran’s nuclear bomb-making projects), as well as recent protests in Lebanon and Iraq, and recent incidents in Syria, are taking place to overcome the Islamic Republic of Iran,” claimed Hatami, attributing these events to ‘foreign interferences.’
Furthermore, he leaked the regime’s concerns over the establishment of the Arab coalition for defending the legal administration of Yemen, Karabakh conflicts between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the Afghanistan’s objection to the Iranian government’s meddling in their interior affairs.
“The enemy’s conspiracies will continue in strategic aspects. Particularly, in the case of Iran’s regional hegemony and missile capacities, [foreigners] will powerfully continue their path to obtain all their goals,” Hatami added.
Notably, during the past year, several Iranian officials blamed the people of Iraq and Lebanon for ongoing protests against Iran-backed militias’ influence.
On the other hand, Iraqi protesters continued their upheaval in different provinces, especially in Al-Muthanna, Diwaniya, Nasiriyah, Najaf, and Babel. They insisted on the imperative of fundamental changes and called for prosecuting the perpetrators of a bloody crackdown on protesters. They also demanded the dismissal of Provincial Governors and Iran-aligned officials in these provinces. “This is a revolution against murderers and [sectarian] parties,” Rafidain TV aired protesters’ slogans on March 19.
Furthermore, thousands of Syrians marched in Idlib—a base of the Syrian opposition—on March 15, in tandem with the tenth anniversary of the start of protests in 2011. Protesters repeated the 2011 slogans, including, “Freedom, freedom, Syria wants freedom,” “Get out Bashar,” and “The people want regime change.”
Numerous demonstrators had photos of victims and forcibly-disappeared people. During the past decade, the Syrian government and its allies have killed hundreds of thousands of civilians. They have also displaced more than 12 million people inside the country and abroad, according to the United Nations.
“We have come to renew our commitment for the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad like 2011,” a protester told AFP, adding, “We will continue even if it takes 50 years.”
Meanwhile, the UK government simultaneously blacklisted six Syrian officials, including Foreign Minister Feisal Meqdad, for involvement in violence against citizens. Also, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio blamed Bashar al-Assad and his allies for horrific crimes against the Syrian people.
Tragically, the Syrian conflict is entering it 10th year. The blood thirsty Assad regime and its backers, including #Iran and #Russia, must be held to account for the horrific crimes against the Syrian people.
— Senator Rubio Press (@SenRubioPress) March 15, 2021
