MEK Iran: the regime has been trying to downplay the Coronavirus outbreak.

The Iranian regime relies on its propaganda machine to twist the truth, deceive its citizens and the international community, to spread lies about its opposition, to further its interests, and so on. It had used its propaganda machine for decades, but indicators point to it losing its effectiveness.

Most recently, the regime has been trying to downplay the Coronavirus outbreak that has cost the lives of tens of thousands of people in Iran. The regime’s figures have been wildly understated, as testified by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran) that has been compiling its statistics since the beginning of the outbreak.

The regime states that there have been around 7,000 deaths, whereas the (PMOI / MEK Iran) states that more than 44,300 have died. The (PMOI / MEK Iran) took it upon itself to put itself in contact with medical professionals and morgues across the country given the regime’s horrific track record on reporting accurately during such crises. Medical professionals and independent journalists have backed up the figures reported by the opposition (PMOI / MEK Iran).

The people themselves have been able to see for themselves the devastation that this virus has caused. They have experienced it first hand and the regime can say it is under control as much as it wants, but the people and their experiences prove that it is far from being under control.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said time and time again that the hospitals have been able to cope with the number of sick people and that intensive care units (ICU) have spare beds available, but nurses and doctors have stated that this is simply not the case. Rouhani has even tried to convince anyone who will listen that Iran’s response to the outbreak has been much better than that of other countries in Europe. Yet he has very few people to back him up in these statements. Many officials from the health ministry have been unable to keep quiet and have spoken out about the gravity of the situation. Even the state media outlets are refusing to repeat many of the lies.

The Ministry of Health reported last week that more than 10,000 medical workers have contracted the virus. If the health ministry’s figures are anything like that of the regime’s death toll, it can safely be presumed that this is just a fraction of the real number. In either case, this is unacceptable, given that many medical workers have not been provided with adequate personal protective equipment (PPE).

The tide is turning in Iran and the regime’s survival is looking very uncertain. The collapse of the regime could be described as inevitable. Just a few short years ago, very few would have openly voiced their support for the main opposition (PMOI / MEK Iran) in Iran. Nor would many have openly shouted, “death to the dictator” in the street. But in the past couple of years we have seen two major nationwide uprisings, with another on the horizon. The people of Iran are determined to see the regime collapse.