Iran has yet again made headlines, this time over reports from across the country, suggesting unprecedented spread of illnesses caused by dust storms and high concentration of dust particles. Terrorizing, large areas in Iran, they have threatened the health of millions of citizens.
It has been reported that, acute respiratory infections and diseases, obstruction of the respiratory tract, middle ear infections, lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases, allergies and allergic reactions are among the complications of this dire situation.
Moreover, other damages of this situation such as road accidents in the dusty weather leave more victims among the deprived people in these areas.
The National Council of Resistance of Iran, has warned about dangers to public health in Iranian cities, where the government refuses to take any step towards prevention. Instead the clerical regime officials have tried to blame this disaster on territorial conditions and neighboring countries, and try to relate dust particles and their effects, including the victims and diseases, to foreign factors.
However according to the NCRI, reality is that the origin of the problem is nothing but religious fascism ruling Iran, which has no objective but to maintain its hegemony and to plunder the property of the Iranian people.
It is reported that the clerical regime has failed to provide the minimum health facilities to counter the effects of these storms and dust, where the complications due to this situation rapidly lead to acute and serious diseases. This is part of the catastrophic state of medical services in the Iran under the rule of the mullahs, which according to the NCRI, demands a separate study.
In these circumstances, the Health Minister of the regime, in a propaganda act, went to Khuzestan’s governorship and announced: “All patients with respiratory problems due to the dust phenomenon in Khuzestan Province, that go to private, public, social services and oil company hospitals, two weeks after this storm will be treated for free.”
However, this is no solution, where thanks to the regime the problem has actually spread to other provinces.
According to the deputy of the regime’s Environmental Protection Organization, “In 2004, only three provinces were affected by the phenomenon of dust particles, but now 23 provinces are affected by this phenomenon.” The situation has turned so critical that for the first time, the people of Khuzestan are facing this problem in the winter, where before it had its occurrence only in summer.
The mullahs have spent Iranian people’s vast resources and capital on nuclear proliferation, spread of terrorism and fundamentalism in the region and the world, or funneled them into their bank accounts. Critics of the government have warned the public, that as long as this regime is in power, neither human rights will be improved, nor will medical conditions and environment improve. The only solution to all this suffering is the overthrow of religious fascism with the establishment of democracy and a popular sovereignty.
The people of Ahwaz protested several times last week, against the regime’s indifference to the worsening air pollution in their city. In these gatherings, including one in front of the city hall, people continued their protest in severe dust storm and chanted slogans against the officials, despite the threats by police. These days, the concentration of dust in Ahwaz is 70 times, the allowed limit. Many other cities in Khuzestan Province were also shut down due to the severity of air pollution and dust storm, where state news agencies report of a rapid increase of dust in nearby provinces as well.
