{"id":7268,"date":"2019-12-26T14:40:03","date_gmt":"2019-12-26T11:40:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/?p=7268"},"modified":"2021-06-06T09:53:43","modified_gmt":"2021-06-06T06:53:43","slug":"khamenei-orders-to-end-the-protests-and-1500-people-were-killed-reza-pahlavi-calls-the-islamic-republic-a-genocidal-regime","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/monitoring-and-translation\/iran-in-a-week\/khamenei-orders-to-end-the-protests-and-1500-people-were-killed-reza-pahlavi-calls-the-islamic-republic-a-genocidal-regime\/","title":{"rendered":"Khamenei Orders to End the Protests and 1500 People were Killed; Reza Pahlavi Calls the Islamic Republic a \u201cGenocidal Regime\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Little time for\ndiplomacy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The editorial of Arman Melli focuses on the limited time\nleft for a diplomatic solution to resolve the Iran-America crisis, with both\ncountries facing significant elections in 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is not much time for solving the problems between Iran\nand America in the international domain. Rouhani\u2019s government favors talk and\nde-escalating tensions with the world and is determined to meet this end to\ncreate economic openings for the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The path to diplomacy is still open since both sides express\ntheir views through mediators after a year and a half of the US withdrawal from\nthe nuclear deal and imposing many sanctions on Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there is an upcoming election in Iran and its\nresults, according to predictions, will not be in favor of those who want negotiations\nwith America. As a result of the victory of the government\u2019s rivals in the\nparliamentary elections, the path for new initiatives or negotiations will be\nblocked, and it becomes less and less possible to resolve the issues between\nIran and America through dialogue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, the US presidential election is getting\ncloser. If Iran is after using diplomatic means, given the situation of Donald\nTrump, it will be more effective before the beginning of the serious election\ncampaign in the United States.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we know, any changes or developments in this regard\ndepend on the Islamic Republic\u2019s views towards the region. Japan could \u2013 and\nstill can \u2013 play a significant role in this regard since both the Islamic\nRepublic and America have positive views towards this country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe\u2019s trip to Tehran\nand Hassan Rouhani\u2019s recent trip to Tokyo, one can say that there is one thing\nover which both Iran and America agree: Japan\u2019s positive role in the mediation\nefforts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To see if these talks have been successful, we should wait\nuntil January which is the time for Iran to take the fifth step in reducing its\nobligations in the nuclear deal. If Iran takes the fifth step, then one can say\nthat Tokyo\u2019s talks have failed. But if there is any revision in Iran\u2019s\nposition, then one can hope for an opening. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arman Melli<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Can the visit of\nIndia\u2019s foreign minister help in solving Iran\u2019s economic problems?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The editorial of Arman Melli focuses on why Rouhani\u2019s recent\nvisits to Malaysia and Japan, as well as the visit of the Indian foreign\nminister to Tehran, will not solve Iran\u2019s economic problems, given the US tough\neconomic sanction on the Islamic Republic. \n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

India, Japan, and South Korea are the most important buyers\nof Iran\u2019s oil, as they purchase 65 to 70 percent of the country\u2019s oil. These\ncountries owe money to Iran and it is worth mentioning that Japan\u2019s debt to\nIran amounting to $5bn. One of the reasons behind Rouhani\u2019s trip to Japan was\nto unfreeze Iran\u2019s blocked money. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rouhani is trying to stay in his position and cover up his\npast failures. In his recent trip to Malaysia, he had meetings with Malaysian\neconomic officials, but to no avail. He had similar meetings with Japanese\ninvestors, but they too are afraid of  US\npunishments. As a matter of fact, they do not want to lose their privileged\nposition in the American economy just to get closer to Iran. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the meantime, there has been talk of the Indian foreign\nminister\u2019s visit to Iran. It can be imagined that pretty much like Japan, India\ntoo will not be able to transfer money to Iran due to the lack of banking\nrelations with Tehran. India\u2019s foreign minister would certainly have raised the\nsame concerns in his trip to Iran, stressing that the Americans do not allow\nIndia to pay its debts to Iran. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rouhani\u2019s efforts to create an opening in the current tough\neconomic condition will not come to fruition. Given the positions of the\nIranian regime, there is no hope for such an opening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ground for taking Iran\u2019s case to the UN Security Council is\nbeing prepared due to the Europeans activating the dispute mechanism in the\nnuclear deal and the loss of the European Union\u2019s support. With the position\ntaken by the European Parliament, UN General Assembly, and the US State\nDepartment against Iran, the international atmosphere has turned against Iran. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arman Melli <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Outcome of Rouhani\u2019s\ntrip to Tokyo<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The editorial of Arman Melli, written by academic Sadegh\nZibakalam, goes over the possible results of the Iranian President Hassan\nRouhani\u2019s recent trip to Japan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All pieces of evidence indicate that Hassan Rouhani\u2019s trip to\nJapan doesn\u2019t seem to have been completely successful. We do not know much\nabout the private meeting that took place between Rouhani and Shinzo Abe for an\nhour and a half, as neither said anything about it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It cannot be expected that all the goals of Rouhani\u2019s trip\nwere achieved unless we suppose that he had gained special powers before going\nto Japan in order to negotiate with Abe. The Japanese prime minister is in a\nposition to play a positive role in the Iran-America relationship \u2013 a role that\nthe Europeans couldn\u2019t \u2013 and Oman no longer can \u2013 play. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike the Europeans who are not favored by Donald Trump or\nIranian officials, Abe has a special position, as he is positively viewed by\nboth sides. But Abe can help in breaking the ice of Tehran-Washington relations\nonly if Rouhani can gain the Iranian establishment\u2019s agreement to de-escalate\nthe tensions between the two countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Otherwise, Rouhani\u2019s trip to Japan must be seen in a\ndifferent light. Iran hasn\u2019t received a considerable part of its oil revenues\nfrom Japan due to the US sanctions. It is not clear how much Japan owes Iran in\nthis regard, but if Abe can gain Trump\u2019s agreement to pay a part of this money\nto Iran, it will be a positive step. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other goal is for Abe to gain permission from Trump \u2013 as\na sign of good intention \u2013 to buy some oil from Iran. The third possibility is\nfor the Japanese to invest in Iran. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But as mentioned earlier, all these possibilities depend on\nAbe\u2019s success to gain Trump\u2019s agreement for giving such concessions to Iran. It\nall depends on whether there is a change in America\u2019s approach towards Iran.\nOtherwise, there will not be any changes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems unlikely that Rouhani would have gone to Japan\nwithout getting a green light. So now the ball is in Trump\u2019s court: will he\ntake a step forward or will he keep pressuring Tehran? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arman Melli<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adding salt to\ninjury!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The editorial of Ebtekar is critical of the poor reaction of\nIranian officials and certain experts to the recent protests \u2013 in which,\naccording to Reuters, 1,500 people were killed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The November protests, undoubtedly, turned into a crisis\npoint in Iranian society. The impact of these sudden, severe, uncontrollable,\nand violent protests will remain with the Iranian people for years. Passage of\ntime, perhaps, might help in healing these deep wounds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under these circumstances, all officials and state\ninstitutions must follow the same protocols which aim to foster peace in\nsociety once again. In addition, they must avoid polarization and mollify those\nwho have suffered damage due to the protests. If so, it can be hoped that\npeople\u2019s anger will perhaps subside. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, certain officials and experts do not seem to care\nabout what happened in these protests and make irresponsible remarks in this\nregard. Some call the killing of the protesters as \u2018bloodletting of the establishment.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Such remarks show that those who make them either do not\nknow what they are talking; or perceive a considerable part of society as\nmercenaries, infiltrators, or foreign agents; or are intentionally trying to\navoid peace returning to society. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viewing a considerable part of society as mercenaries,\ninfiltrators, or foreign elements is very concerning and dangerous. When Iran\u2019s\nsecurity officials announce that there have been severe conflicts in 28\nprovinces of Iran \u2013 and some go so far as comparing them to world war \u2013 it\nshows that different groups of people have been involved in these protests.\nNow, how come these so-called experts dare to describe these people as\nmercenaries, infiltrators, or foreign elements?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If these experts try to intentionally prevent the return of\npeace and quiet to society, then one should see what they have in mind. If so,\nthey are directly or indirectly at the service of the enemies of the country\nand trying to help them to realize their goals. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The officials and experts are expected not to add salt to\ninjury. If they cannot heal it, they must learn, at least, how \u2018not to speak\u2019\nabout it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ebtekar <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Khamenei ordered to end the protests; 1500 people were killed<\/strong>
Reza Pahlavi called the Islamic Republic a \u201cgenocidal regime\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to four Iranian officials and reliable sources,\nReuter news agency says, roughly 1500 people were killed in the November\nprotests in Iran. This massacre took place after the Iranian Supreme Leader Ali\nKhamenei ordered officials to immediately put an end to the protests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a few days of the protests, Khamenei had gathered\nsenior security and government officials, ordering them \u201cto do whatever it\ntakes to stop them [the protests]\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Reuters, three reliable sources from within the\nclose circle of the supreme leader have confirmed that Khamenei issued such an\norder. A fourth source \u2013 an official of the Islamic Republic \u2013 also has\ncorroborated that the order was issued by Khamenei. As such, the bloodiest\nincident after the 1979 revolution in Iran took place on the direct order of\nAli Khamenei. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In less than two weeks from the start of the unrest\nbeginning on 15 November, about 1500 people were killed, reports Reuters. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Based on social media and eyewitness testimonies, the\nprotesters set fire to images of Khamenei, calling for the return of Reza\nPahlavi, the exiled son of Iran\u2019s former king, to Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fatalities, announced to Reuters by three officials in\nIran\u2019s interior ministry, include 17 teenagers and about 400 women. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In meeting with officials, Khamenei said: \u201cThe Islamic\nRepublic is in danger. Do whatever it takes to end it. This is my order.\u201d Three\ninformed sources have told Reuters, \u201cKhamenei is concerned with anger in\nworking-class towns whose low-income voters were the pillar of support for the\nIslamic Republic\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Iranian supreme leader had told the officials present in\nthe meeting that if they don\u2019t immediately stop the protests, he would hold\nthem responsible for the consequences. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In reaction to the Reuters\u2019 report, Reza Pahlavi called for\nprosecuting the Islamic Republic in the International Criminal Court (ICC) in\nThe Hague. Addressing EU members and the UN Security Council, he wrote: \u201cThis\nregime murdered 1500 Iranian in just a few days. Instead of begging for dialogue\nand trade with this genocidal regime, refer it to the ICC for\nprosecution.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deutsche Welle<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radio Farda<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opinion poll: 54% of\npeople believe the protests will continue in future<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to an opinion poll regarding\nthe November protests in Iran conducted in Tehran, only 15% of people were\nsatisfied with conditions in Iran, while 54% of participants held that protests\nwill continue in the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cReformist\u201d politician Abbas Abdi published the initial results of the poll conducted by the Iranian Student Poll Agency (ISPA) about the November protests in his Telegram channel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to this poll, satisfaction with the country\u2019s\nconditions is at 15% which, compared to 2017, shows almost a 50% drop. Also,\n52% of the participants in the poll hold that the conditions will get worse,\n16% have a positive view of the future, and the rest have said that nothing\nwill change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to this poll, 54% of the participants believe that\nthe protests will continue in the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The poll shows that roughly 75% of the participants think\nthat the protesters were right. 41% of the respondents hold that these protests\nwill force the officials of the Islamic Republic to change their policies,\nwhile 49% think otherwise. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to this poll, raising the gasoline price has not\nbeen the only cause of the November protests, with only 6% of the people saying\nthey are concerned with the high price of gasoline. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

85% of the respondents have expressed concerns about\nmacro-economic problems, unemployment, and hopelessness towards the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radio Farda<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teenage kolbar\nworkers buried; people chanted \u201cDeath to Dictator\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Death of Farhad Khosravi, 14, and his 17-year-old brother,\nAzad, raised the issue of kolbars once again. Kolbars are workers who carry\ngoods on their backs across the borders of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey\nillegally. Most of them live in Iranian Kurdistan. The Kurdish provinces are\namong the poorest in the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farhad and his brother, along with other kolbars, were\ntrapped in an avalanche in the Sarvabad Mountains in Kurdistan province. People\nof the region were mobilized to find them. A few days later, the dead bodies of\nFarhad and his brother were found. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two other kolbars were found while severely injured and were\ntaken to a treatment center. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the burial ceremony of Farhad, some people symbolically\nheld pieces of bread in their hands to suggest that these two brothers lost\ntheir lives for merely a piece of bread. People chanted slogans in Persian and\nKurdish, including \u201cDeath to the Dictator\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to a Kurdish human rights organization, 7 kolbars\nunder the age of 18 were killed and one wounded in 2019. Based on this report,\n6 kolbars were directly shot by the regime\u2019s forces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This organization has also reported that during the past 12\nmonths, 14 kolbars also lost their lives due to hypothermia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

BBC Persian <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Widespread depression\nin Iran<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Health Minister Saeed Namaki has complained about despair\nand depression in Iran, calling widespread mental disorders as a cause for\nalarm in society. He called for public attention to this issue. Depression,\nanxiety, and aggressiveness are among the most common mental disorders in\nIran.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Namaki considers the mental health of individuals as the\nfirst pillar of health in society, emphasizing that there are a lot of\nshortcomings in the field of treating mental health. He stressed that society\nneeds happiness and joy. Pointing to depression among Iranian citizens, he said\nadding fuel to despair, hopelessness, and despondency is \u201cnational treason\nagainst the country\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

About a year ago, too, Namaki had called Iran one of the\nmost depressed countries in the world, criticizing Iran\u2019s state TV and radio\nfor their depressing programs. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the head of Iran\u2019s Psychiatric Association, 20%\nof Iranian people suffer from mild to severe mental disorders. He added that\npeople\u2019s mental and physical health is neglected in Iran. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While depression, anxiety, and aggressiveness are the most\ncommon disorders in the country, obsessive-compulsive disorder, sleep\ndisorders, and behavioral disorders are next. The number of women suffering\nfrom depression in Iran is twice as men. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to the deputy head of Iran\u2019s Psychiatric\nAssociation, the statistics show that mental disorders are more common than\nphysical illnesses and one in four families have to deal with mental disorders.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently a member of the Tehran City Council launched a\nmental health campaign, saying that 27% of people living in Tehran suffer from\nmental disorders. The campaign aimed at alleviating domestic and urban\nviolence, decreasing stress and anxiety, and creating more happiness for people\nparticularly children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deutsche Welle <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Little time for diplomacy The editorial of Arman Melli focuses on the limited time left for a diplomatic solution to resolve the Iran-America crisis, with both countries facing significant elections in 2020. There is not much time for solving the problems between Iran and America in the international domain. Rouhani\u2019s government favors talk and de-escalating […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":6281,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7268","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-iran-in-a-week"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7268","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7268"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7268\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9308,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7268\/revisions\/9308"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7268"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7268"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7268"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}