NCRI-US Representative, Soona Samsami, introduces the report, entitled “Uprising Shakes Iran Regime’s Foundations” today during the NCRI-US press conference. November 26, 2019

The U.S. Representative Office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI-US) held a press conference in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, November 26th to discuss the contents of a 60-page report containing new details about the uprising in Iran which spread to 176 cities. The report contained a list of 154 people killed during the protests who have been identified by the Mujahedin-e Khalq (PMOI/ MEK) sources as well as the names of senior Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) commanders and other officials who were involved in the brutal crackdown.

At least 450 protesters have been killed in the uprising, 4,000 have been wounded, and 10,000 more have been arrested.

A Turning Point

Ms. Soona Samsami, NCRI’s U.S. Representative, described the uprising as a turning point in the struggle to overthrow the clerical regime in Iran. She said that the regime is aware that it is close to being overthrown and reached an impasse. It has resorted to suppression and murder because it sees no other option, but by killing protesters, Khamenei has accelerated the process of his regime’s overthrow. She also pointed out that regime President Hassan Rouhani, despite his self-proclaimed “moderate” status, has joined in the calls for suppression of the Iranian people. ”This is the common tactic of Khamenei, Rouhani and other regime leaders,” said Mrs. Samsami. “They are all sitting together in a sinking ship.”

Maryam Rajavi’s Demands

Ms. Samsami concluded her remarks by summarizing National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) President-elect Mrs. Maryam Rajavi’s message regarding the protests:

• The response by the Iranian regime to the protests taking place in Iran are crimes against humanity. World governments and the international community should demand an immediate stop to the deaths and arrests taking place in the country.
• The United Nations Security Council must demand that regime leaders face justice for crimes against humanity.
• The international community must strongly condemn the regime’s Internet terrorism and assist the Iranian people in bypassing their blackout.
• The regime is actively working to conceal the number of casualties from the uprising. The U.N. must send a fact-finding mission to determine the actual number of people killed, wounded, and imprisoned during the protests.

An Evolving Resistance Movement

Alireza Jaffarzadeh, Deputy Director of NCRI’s US office, spoke about how quickly the protests had spread throughout Iran and how unified the message was among the people for regime change.

“The behavior prevalent among protesters had radicalized in the extreme,” he said.

“During the 2017 uprising, there were only 50 attacks on regime centers. This time, it seems that thousands of regime-affiliated buildings were targeted.”

Jaffarzadeh also noted that the suppressive tactics used in the current uprising were much different than those used in the 2009 and 2017 uprisings.

MEK’s Role in the Uprising: Resistance units of the MEK played their key role.
Hossein Ashtari, Commander of State Security Forces (SSF), November 17, 2019: “Our investigations show that behind the scenes, antirevolutionary organizations & #MEK led these movements.” #IranProtests pic.twitter.com/2GwtjYMjM4

— NCRI-U.S. Rep Office (@NCRIUS) November 26, 2019

In addition, the current uprising differed in the response from regime Supreme Leader Ali Khameini, who immediately announced that the regime would not reconsider the sudden gas price hike that triggered the protests and ordered his security forces to brutally suppress the protesters.

Jaffarzadeh also stressed that the MEK Resistance Units have grown significantly since the 2017 uprising when they were “in their infancy and just beginning their endeavors.”

Jaffarzadeh concluded his remarks by noting that the NCRI’s strategy of creating “Resistance units and rebellious cities” has proven to be effective. The most recent protests show that not only are the Iranian people united in a strong desire for change but also that the United States policy towards Iran has not rallied the people behind the regime. The Iranian people have directed their anger toward the mullahs’ regime.