Angry bazaar protesters in Iran’s capital held a fourth day of demonstrations over the country’s anemic economy and President Hassan Rouhani told the nation that it faces an “economic war” with the United States following America’s pullout from the nuclear deal.
The bazaar is viewed as a force of conservatism in the Iranian society, providing strong links between the clergy and the middle-class traders. The 1979 Revolution received strong backing from these forces, and as one of the most important bazaars in the country, the Grand Bazaar of Tehran was a center for pro-revolutionary feeling and finance that is now chanting death to the dictator.
Chief Justice of Iran, Sadeq Larijani said, “The Islamic Republic will under no circumstances tolerate this. In particular, the Judiciary will deal with them firmly. I am hereby warning these disruptors of the economic system to listen well. Take the cotton out of your ears and open your eyes. Acts of disrupting the country’s economic system based on the laws have very heavy penalties. It’s stated that if this act is found to be a case of ‘Corruption on Earth,’ (the penalty is) execution and if it’s not the case, the sentence is up to 20 years of prison.”
Eshaq Jahangiri, Iran’s first vice president, was quoted Monday as saying “we’re on the verge of an economic war by an economic terrorist,” referring to the United States. “Conditions will get worse in future,” Jahangiri said, according to Etemad daily newspaper. “Even our friends and neighbors like Russia, China and Europeans can’t help us today.”
Information and Communications Technology Minister Mohammad Javad Azari-Jahromi put on an act as if nothing much had happened and said the merchants returned to work after he made a promise to help them access hard currency for their imports.
Secretary Pompeo had this to say when asked about his recent tweets supporting democracy in Iran, “we are very hopeful that there will be an increase in the democratic values, and the capacity for Iranians to speak their mind inside the Islamic Republic of Iran.” Pompeo also tweeted that “It should surprise no one #IranProtests continue. People are tired of the corruption, injustice & incompetence of their leaders. The world hears their voice.”
It’s not just the White House raising voice for Iranians, a recent statement by 33 Former Senior U.S. Officials & Dignitaries has shown auxiliary towards Iranian-Americans. The Iranian academics and professionals living in American expressed gratitude for Washington’s moral support to Iranian protestors.
160 of them sent a letter to President Donald Trump explaining that the US change of course in policy must be completed by taking additional concrete steps, including the imposition of sanctions on the regime and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) to cut its access to the international banking system, the eviction of the regime from regional countries, holding to account regime officials at international tribunals for their role in the massacre of 30,000 political prisoners in 1988, and the recognition of the main opposition National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) as the democratic alternative to the ruling theocracy. [ EIN ]
Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the NCRI, was the first person to support the mass gathering of recent days on Tehran’s streets and tweeted that Sadeq Larijani’s remarks are in flagrant violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on Civil and Political Rights. She writes “I emphatically urge the United Nations, the UN Human_Rights Council, and all relevant human rights organizations to strongly condemn Larijani’s threats to kill Iran protesters. The UNSC must take immediate action.”
The NCRI holds the biggest annual rally of Iranians combined with freedom lovers from all over the world and international dignitaries to convey the message of change in Iran by the people. This year on June 30 this grand gathering will echo the voices of protesters in Iran who are also sending their messages to the event thru online videos to #FreeIran2018
