Iranians Have Lost Trust In Their Government, Says Sociologist

However, worshippers held their customary Friday protest rally in the provincial capital of Sistan-Baluchestan following prayers, chanting "Death to Khamenei" and "Death to IRGC."

Due to internet shutdown by the government, the sermon by outspoken Sunni leader Mowlavi Abdolhamid was not broadcast live. Internet watchdog NetBlocks confirmed that the real-time network data showed a significant disruption to connectivity in Zahedan. “The incident comes amid a growing security presence during Friday protests," said NetBlocks.

Makki Grand Mosque, where Abdolhamid usually delivers his Friday sermons, was under siege since the early hours of Friday and security forces tried to enter the Sunni mosque but were confronted by angry people. Some social media videos show snipers stationed on the roofs of the buildings and hills in the area.

"We swear on our comrades' blood to stand strong until the end," hundreds of demonstrators were seen chanting in a video from the flashpoint city. Another widely-circulated video showed security forces beating and arresting a Baluch man trying to enter the Makki Mosque.

Similar protests were also reported in other cities of the province such as Khash and Rask.

An audio file of Friday prayer sermons was released to media later in the day, in which Abdolhamid condemned the crackdown that has been going on for over five months across the country, calling for restraint by regime forces.

"Listen to the people and the opposition, and if you cannot solve the problems of the people, leave and let someone who can solve come forward,” he said, implying the need for fundamental change.

"There are problems with domestic policies, and these problems have led to people's protests," Abdolhamid said, adding that the country is in “a serious crisis” and it requires major thinking emerge from it.

Decrying the economic hardships imposed on the people due to rising inflation and devaluation of the national currency, he said that Iran is a rich country and such problems stem from maladjusted domestic and foreign policies. This is the result of having tensions with many countries, he noted.

"Accept that your policies are wrong... we are not your enemies, we feel sorry for the people who do not have the power to buy bread and meat," he added.

He also talked about the massacre of people in the city, known as Bloody Friday, which took place on September 30, when security forces killed more than 80 people, including women and children.

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Calling for the truth to be clarified, he said that people were shot at from four directions and nearly 100 people, including 18 children, were killed; 300 were injured, 80 of whom are still hospitalized; 17 people were shot in the eyes.

Mowlavi Abdul-Ghaffar Naqshbandi, the prayer leader of the city of Rask, issued a statement on Friday, threatening the regime of “a historic fatwa.” A fatwa is legal ruling is Islamic which reflects changing economic, social and political circumstances, and is usually abided by the Muslims.

In a statement on Thursday, the Canadian government cited the Islamic Republic's crackdown on the current wave of protests as the reason behind the new measures. “Canada is committed to protecting Iranians already in Canada, and to helping Iranian families stay together. In light of the gross and systematic human rights violations being committed by the Iranian regime during its brutal crackdown on protesters, some may wish to prolong their stay in Canada rather than return home at this time,” read the statement.

"Effective March 1, 2023, these measures will make it easier for Iranians who wish to extend their temporary status in Canada and to move between temporary streams, allowing Iranians to continue studying, working or visiting family by applying for a new permit from inside Canada," it added.

The Canadian government said an open work permit pathway will be made available for Iranians already in Canada, adding that applications from Iranians in Canada will also be processed on a priority basis.

Canada also said it was waiving certain processing fees for Iranians who wish to extend their stay in Canada, and will also waive passport and permanent resident travel document fees for citizens and permanent residents of Canada in Iran who wish to leave.

"Canada will not stand idly by in the face of these aggressions as the Iranian regime continues its ongoing human rights violations," Canadian Immigration Minister Sean Fraser said.

A video sent to Iran International shows Basij plainclothes agents raid Zabangostar school Wednesday night detaining two teenage girls after sealing off the school.

According to witnesses, Basiji forces were filming the classes during the attack.

Reports say citizens, parents and female language learners resisted the attack chanting slogans such as "Death to Basiji".

Violence against women, especially teenage girls, due to what the regime calls "improper hijab" has been going on for over four decades. During the uprising of the Iranian people the violence has intensified with the increase of women's civil disobedience against the mandatory hijab.

The Islamic Republic, however, confronts such civil disobedience with heavy punishment for what it calls "removing hijab".

Despite regime’s efforts to suppress such moves, several famous figures including actresses and female athletes joined the movement against the mandatory hijab and removed their headscarves.

In a statement in January, fifteen prominent Iranian figures, who are usually referred to as “religious intellectuals”, condemned the government policy of compulsory hijab and suppression of women.

Results of surveys conducted by Iranian government agencies are usually not made public, but according to a survey carried out by the ministry of Islamic guidance in 2015, more than 70 percent of Iranians do not agree with compulsory hijab.

In thread of tweets extracted from his interview with Austrian national public broadcaster ORF on Thursday, Pahlavi said the strategy of European countries vis-a-vis Iran should be focused on empowering the people while isolating and weakening the Islamic Republic. 

Since Europe is geographically near the borders of Iran, it is especially exposed to challenges aggravated by the Islamic Republic, such as security risks and energy demands, he added, noting that the regime is “an unreliable and largely unavailable supply partner in energy,” and “in commerce, an economic market that is neither attractive nor safe as a target for trade or investment.”

He described the policy of engaging with the regime as “betting on a dead horse” and elaborated on how it works against the security interests of Europe. He touched upon some of the issues that the Islamic Republic has been creating for the European countries such as promotion of Islamic extremism and planning and perpetration of assassinations and terror plots on the continent. 

He referred to millions of asylum seekers at Europe’s borders, underlining that most of these migrants are coming from the countries that have been hit by unrest due to the destabilizing acts by the Islamic Republic and its proxy militias. 

He particularly mentioned the regime’s military support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine that has caused numerous problems for other European countries. Iran’s Islamic government has supplied hundreds of drones to Russia since mid-2022 that have been used during missile attacks to swarm Ukrainian air defenses. Increasingly short of missiles to sustain its brutal bombing campaign of Ukraine’s towns and cities, Russia has turned to Iran and also North Korea to replenish its stocks.

Prince Pahlavi also denounced the Islamic Republic’s diplomatic blackmail via nuclear proliferation, warning the international community against negotiating with Iran as pundits believe that the regime will not be able to harness its growing inflation without lifting US sanctions.

He also talked about the policy of hostage-taking by the regime and using foreign nationals in the country as bargaining chips to get concessions from other countries. His remarks came on the same day that a hardliner newspaper in Tehran, which is funded by the Supreme Leader and its editor often speaks for Ali Khamenei, demanded that German embassy staff be banned from leaving Iran in response to expulsion of two Iranian diplomats from Berlin.

Pahlavi called it political shortsightedness “to engage the Islamic Republic rather than its opposition” especially at a time when the uprising of the people is yielding results and a secular democrat Iran “would solve many of Europe’s prevailing security issues instantly.”

This week has been the most challenging for the government of President Ebrahim Raisi as the national currency is in freefall against the US dollar and the government seems just bewildered and confused.

A seasoned politician and political analyst has asserted that President Raisi’s administration is simply incapable of solving the country’s problems, and it is best for everyone that he resigns.

Former lawmakers Gholam Ali Jafarzadeh Imanabadi has said in an interview with Rouydad24 news website that Raisi should resign his post before he discredits himself even more than the credibility he has already lost. Imanabadi further charged that Raisi understands neither politics nor the economy.

“What he says about his ‘popular government’ insults the nation’s intelligence,” the politician said, adding that Raisi’s performance has even discredited his father-in-law Ahmad Alamolhoda, a firebrand cleric, who is Ali Khamenei’s representative in Khorasan Province.

He said the Raisi administration has imposed a huge cost on the nation by doing nothing and simply chanting slogans. Imanabadi added: “The best thing he can do is to resign at once and disband the government.” At the same time, he said, the Guardian Council should allow more popular candidates such as former Presidents Mohammad Khatami and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and former Majles Speaker Ali Larijani to run for president.

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Imanabadi claimed that while Khamenei had allowed negotiations with the West, Raisi and his team refused to make an agreement to revive the nuclear deal and imposed a high cost on the nation. He also criticized Raisi for going to China this month, while the Chinese President has not apologized for making a comment that undermined Iran’s territorial integrity.

Imanabadi predicted that because of Raisi’s performance, protests will start once again in the spring when angry people take to the street against the government.

Meanwhile, Khabar Online wrote on Wednesday, February 22, that before February, Iranian lawmakers often talked about questioning the government about its economic policy, but now the situation is so serious that no one at the parliament wants anything less than impeaching the ministers and the President. Khabar Online quoted lawmaker Mahmoud Abbaszadeh Meshkini as having said: “Majles [parliament] can impeach the ministers and the government. The situation is worse than ever.”

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Meshkini said that the Majles is planning to impeach up to 9 of Raisi’s cabinet ministers. The president’s economic team is incompetent although some of Iran’s problems are the result of its foreign policy and flaws in the country’s political structure.

He added that the Majles held a two-hour long closed-door session on Monday during which lawmakers resolved to hold the government accountable and he reiterated that the current situation cannot continue any further.

Meshkini explained that some lawmakers believe impeachment is a time consuming process and maintain that a better solution is to convince Raisi to change his cabinet altogether. On the other hand, some lawmakers prefer to keep silent to ensure their electability next year by remaining loyal to the hardliner camp.

In another development, prominent reformist analyst Abbas Abdi wrote in Etemad newspaper that Raisi is not fit for the presidency.

He said one month after Raisi promised to the parliament that the rial will regain value, we have seen a 15 percent rise for the dollar. Abdi charged that the government has no economic plan and measures such as replacing the Central Bank governor will not solve the problem.

Unfortunately, this government cannot stand up to the job of solving the country’s problems and no positive change can be expected. Iran is going to miss opportunities and even positive measures such as releasing political prisoners cannot bring back people’s trust, Abdi said.