The Iranian people have had to try and deal with many natural disasters over the last two weeks. The coronavirus outbreak was shrouded in secrecy leaving Iranians vulnerable to its effects. Next was a 5.7 magnitude earthquake in the northwest of Iran followed by floods. No word about these events emerged from the regime as if they hadn’t happened.
Latest on the coronavirus outbreak
On Monday, the regime’s Member of Parliament Ahmad Amirabadi Farahani from the city of Qom, where the coronavirus appearance first appeared said that fifty individuals in the last fortnight had died of the virus.
Ali Rabiei a government spokesperson for the Hassan Rouhani government and Iraj Harirchi deputy health minister both just took part in a press conference where the crises in the country were downplayed. Even Harirchi denied the claim when asked about the 50 fatalities in Qom. According to government directives and the Supreme National Security Council, there isn’t anyone else with the right credentials for revealing key news about what is going on in the country. The facts provided by the regime in relation to the coronavirus were revealed 21 days ago.
The state-run ISNA news agency on February 24th interviewed Dr. Mehdi Shafii who is the Head of the Department of Prevention and Control of Communicable Diseases in Kerman University of Medical Sciences indicated that From February 10th the government informed the Ministry of Health that all of the infrastructures in the provinces need to be prepared for a possible struggle against the virus.
No action was taken by the Iranian regime
The virus has spread in the country due to the lack of action by the regime. It has been suggested that the number of people affected by the virus is far more than anything that has been reported by news channels. So far, there is no indication that anything further is going to be done.
Maryam Rajavi spoke out in support of the people
Mujahedin-e Khalq (PMOI/MEK Iran) and the people’s advocate outside Iran president-elect Mrs. Maryam Rajavi of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) stated that the regime is acting in exactly the same way towards coronavirus as it did when the Ukrainian plane was downed but this time it is far worse. Mrs. Rajavi has asked all medical staff to quickly reveal any forthcoming news about the coronavirus outbreak so that the Iranian people know what is happening so that lives can be saved and the poor response from the current regime is revealed.
Conflicting information in #Iran state media confirms that the regime knew the #coronavirus had spread to their country three weeks ago and that the first victim was in Qomhttps://t.co/a3YWXbapgQ@USAdarFarsi pic.twitter.com/U5RS5mQsaC
— MEK Iran (Mujahedin-e Khalq) (@MEK_Iran) February 27, 2020
Earthquake in northwest Iran on February 23th
A 5.7 magnitude earthquake struck on February 23th causing some villages in North West Iran to shake out of control, in particular in Salmas and Khoy villages situated in the West Azerbaijan Province which endured mass destruction. The areas of Qatour close to Zarabad were hit the most and matters were made worse with aftershocks that took place after the first quake at 9:23 am. local time. Cities in West and East Azerbaijan provinces such as Osku, Urmia, Tabriz, and Sahand experienced damage to 3.500 houses.
While locals near the cities of Khoy & Salmas, along with other areas of northwest Iran, are facing massive destruction following the Feb 23 earthquakes, the city of Kerman in south-central Iran was also shaken by a 4.9-magnitude quake.#Iranhttps://t.co/9slNKllEIz
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) February 26, 2020
The MEK Iran reported on February 26th that West Azerbaijan Province’s regime officials have reported that 43 villages have experienced from 10 to 100 percent damage. Mohayen near the city of Khoy has been seriously damaged and locals need urgent support. Overall 104 people were injured due to the devastation caused by the earthquake on Sunday. The second 5.9 magnitude earthquake in Mohayen completely destroyed the community.
The 4.9 magnitude earthquake on Monday 25th February at 4 am in Kerman in south-central Iran was at a depth of 10 kilometers and the local population was now feared for their lives as they awaited aftershocks.
Koutan-abad village still awaiting Red Crescent assistance
It has been reported that 80 percent of the 130 families’ mud-brick and wooden roof homes no longer exist because they have been leveled by the impact of the earthquake. No help has been offered by the regime. Mrs. Rajavi stated that the Mullahs’ regime is failing to reveal the extent of the damage caused by the 5.7-Richter earthquake in West Azerbaijan. With more than 100 villages experiencing some sort of damage she has issued a request for help for those who have been affected, particularly in Khoy and Salmas with more than 100 villages damaged. She has told villagers to be vigilant due to aftershocks. Whether the Iranian regime intends on doing anything more for the people in this catalog of disasters remains to be seen.