The People’s Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran), and the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), reported that fearing demonstrations, the Iranian authorities have decided to divide Khuzestan into two provinces. The draft bill to separate Khuzestan into South and North Khuzestan was handed to the Majlis on Sunday, according to Mojtaba Yusefi, a Khuzestan MP.

Separate Khuzestan into South and North

The cities of Abadan, Khorramshahr, Mahshahr, Omidiyeh, Hendijan, Behbehan, Ramhormoz, Aghajari, and Ramshir will form part of the province of South Khuzestan, according to the plan.

In recent times, the regime has contemplated dividing Khuzestan into two or three provinces at various times. The unifying denominator throughout the various iterations of the plan was the separation of the province’s two major cities, Ahvaz and Abadan.

The initiative, according to the government, is intended to “save public costs, remove parallel government apparatus,” and “distribute the province’s resources among the population.”

 

 

Weeks of large demonstrations in Khuzestan

However, the proposal is currently being reviewed in the aftermath of several weeks of large demonstrations in Khuzestan. Residents of Khuzestan were facing severe water shortages and were trying to meet their most basic requirements when the protests began.

In response to the protests, the authorities dispatched security forces and opened fire on the demonstrators. According to reports, dozens of people were killed and many more were injured. Hundreds of people were detained by the dictatorship. However, the demonstrations in Khuzestan continued and extended to other provinces across the country.

 

 

The protests soon evolved into political demonstrations

The protests soon evolved into political demonstrations calling for the regime’s downfall and the removal of Ali Khamenei, the regime’s supreme leader.

The dictatorship says that the new divisions will aid meet people’s needs by reducing bureaucracy and centralization. However, analysts believe that not only would the province division not solve these issues but that it will also introduce significant administration costs.

 

 

The shortage of water

The new divisions will provide the regime with additional government employment to hand out to its friends and allies, while also funneling more public funds into the hands of the ruling class. All of Khuzestan’s ostensibly economic assistance is currently being seized by regime-appointed bureaucrats and a corrupt bureaucracy. Meanwhile, the regime’s disastrous policies, such as restricting investment in the province, changing the ethnic fabric of the province, and building dams around the province, have exacerbated the province’s environmental and economic problems.

Khuzestan is currently experiencing a serious water shortage, mostly as a result of the regime’s harmful policies. According to reports from Khuzestan, the Hur ol-Azim marsh has dried up, and livestock has died owing to the shortage of water.

 

 

Protests against power shortages

At the same time, residents of the province are experiencing additional difficulties as a result of power outages. Protests against power shortages were conducted last week.

The unnecessary construction of dams on the Karun River in the region is the primary cause of water scarcity. Several provinces in Khuzestan are experiencing water shortages as a result of government policy.

The proposed division plan is a recipe for disaster that will only make things worse for province residents.

 

 

The division of Sistan and Baluchestan

It’s worth noting that, despite popular opposition, the regime sent a bill to the Majlis in November 2020 proposing the division of Sistan and Baluchestan into four provinces. The measure was confirmed as received by Mohsen Dehnavi, a member of the Majlis presidium.

 

 

MEK Iran (follow us on Twitter and Facebook)

and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTube