Regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in his recent speech published in his website, on the occasion of Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, in which he tried to portray the spectacular failures of the past year in a positive light and to deflect blame for the growing economic and political crises within the country on rival factions within his own government and unnamed “enemies.”

Khamenei cannot deny his deep concerns for the new year which he has already warned deeply about.#Iranhttps://t.co/j1FPjDHQpg

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 22, 2019

Despite his justifications and blame-passing, though, Khamenei was unable to deny that the past twelve months have been difficult for both the Iranian people and the regime. Once again, the Supreme Leader attempted to give a message of hope and inadvertently reaffirmed that the regime is close to collapse.

Growing Resistance

Khamenei mentioned the growing protest movement in the country, led by the MEK and the Iranian Resistance, when he said, “We surpassed a very adventurous year. Our enemies had plans for the Iranian people.” Khamenei often refers to the MEK as “the enemy” and has expressed his fear that the organization could overthrow the regime on a number of occasions.

 

Khamenei falsely claimed to have the support of the people, saying, “The people… showed a strong response in the political and economic perspectives.” He also said that the regime was popular with the people, noting that the regime had celebrated the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution at a rally on February 11th. He failed to point out that the rally was widely boycotted by the Iranian people.

Economic Crisis

The regime Supreme Leader referred to the economic crisis that has left 80% of the Iranian people living below the poverty line as an “issue.”  He said, “Economically, we have many issues. The lowering value of the national currency is an important matter. So is the people’s purchasing power. The problems facing our factories, unemployment, and in some cases, some of our factories closing down. These are issues,”

Khamenei's inner circle are warning about revolts across #Iran in the new Iranian calendar year.#IranProtestshttps://t.co/2Kq8TU7MQq

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 22, 2019

Khamenei, who has allowed Iran to sink further into economic crisis, said that he had a simple solution to all of the country’s problems. “I have studied these issues and listened to the experts. The key to all these issues is developing our national production.”

He elaborated on his plan, which is an extension of the same failed plan he tried last year. “We named last year, 1397, as the year of Supporting Iranian Products,’” he said. “I can’t say this motto was completely implemented. However, I can say that this slogan was acknowledged at a wide scale.” According to Khamenei, 1398 will be the year of “Production Growth.”

“If production is launched as it should, it can solve both our poor living standards and provide what we are in need of from foreigners, including countries that are our enemies. It can also resolve our unemployment and national currency issues to a significant extent,” he added.

Khamenei’s words illustrate the current state of the regime. The only piece of good news the Supreme Leader could share was that the regime had made it through a year of protests and economic upheaval without collapsing. Khamenei’s half-baked plan for economic recovery was a rehash of last year’s half-baked plan, which failed so completely that workers across the country have been forced to strike after working for months without wages. It is a New Day in Iran, and the mullahs are stuck in the past.

Staff writer

 

 

 

 

On Tuesday, March 29th, people in cities across Iran, especially the youth, used the celebration of Chaharshanbe Suri (Fire Festival) as an opportunity to protest the mullahs’ oppressive regime. The protests took place despite the regime’s efforts to prevent celebrations of the national holiday.

 

Last year’s Fire Festival followed the December 2017 uprisings that spread to 142 cities in every province over a two-week period. The massive nationwide protests brought thousands of Iranians from all sectors of society into the streets to demand the overthrow of the clerical regime and sparked a protest movement that continues to this day.

Despite heavy suppression by the regime, brave people across #Iran are celebrating the ancient Festival of Fire (Chaharshanbeh Soori).

Latest updates sent by @simayazaditv reporters inside the country can be found here:https://t.co/39iaqYN98o #چهارشنبه_سوری #دیکتاتور_در_آتش

— Donya Jam (@FreeeIran) March 19, 2019

Chaharshanbe Suri came on the heels of this massive uprising, and the MEK and Iranian Resistance organized celebrations of the event in cities and towns around the country as an act of rebellion. The regime, which was already shaken to its core by the uprisings and growing Iranian Resistance, reacted to the Fire Festival celebrations with suppressive actions.

Fatwa against Chaharshanbe Suri

This year the regime expressed its fear of protests by stepping up its attempts to prevent celebrations of Chaharshanbe Suri. Regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei issued a fatwa against the Fire Festival, saying that “Chaharshanbe Suri has no religious basis and it leads to damage or corruption or propagation of false beliefs, not permitted.” Members of the regime’s judiciary warned people in several cities that “those in violation” would be dealt with severely.

Celebrating #FireFestival by setting ablaze pics of #Iran’s dictators, in support of Iranians having done the same today across the homeland.#ResistanceUnits#دیکتاتور_در_آتش #چهارشنبه_سوری #FreeIranWithMaryamRajavi #MEK #Nowruz @USADarFarsi @SecPompeo pic.twitter.com/LI8DTyZg5y

— Ali Doustkam (@AliDoustkam4) March 20, 2019

Protests and Clashes with Suppressive Forces

Despite these threats, youth in a number of cities, including Tehran, Mashad, Karaj, Masjed Soleiman, Khorramabad, Semnan, Ilam, and Mahshahr protested on Tuesday, burning pictures and effigies of Khamenei and Khomeini and chanting, “Death to Khamenei, death to the principle of Velayat-e-faqih, death to the dictator, with you, Dictator, we would fight fire with fire!

 

In other cities, people attacked official centers with sound grenades and fireworks. In the city of

Divandareh, youth clashed with repressive forces, who fired guns into the air to disperse protesters.

Attempts at Suppression

In Isfahan and several other cities, security forces unsuccessfully attempted to stop people from celebrating Chaharshanbe Suri, but their attacks were not enough to stop the Fire Festival.

 

The clerical regime slowed the Internet in some areas and cut off access to the Internet completely in others in attempts to prevent protesters from sharing photographs and videos of the protests on social media. These efforts were not entirely successful.

Background

Chaharshanbe Suri is an Iranian tradition that predates the Islamic regime. The Fire Festival takes place on the last Tuesday before Nowruz, the Persian New Year, and includes a number of traditions, including jumping over a bonfire. The holiday has long been a target of the mullahs’ ire because of its association with pre-Islamic tradition, but it is deeply ingrained in Iranian culture and particularly popular among the nation’s youth. Attempts to suppress public celebrations of Chaharshanbe Suri have proved to be fruitless, and over the past two years, the holiday has become a symbol of the growing Resistance Movement.

The MEK’s Social Headquarters issued a communique on March 1, 2019, inviting the youth of Iran and the Resistance Units to burn pictures and effigies of Khamenei, Khomeini, and other symbols of the regime in every street and corner during celebrations of Chaharshanbe Suri.

Staff writer

Protests and strikes continue on a daily basis in cities across Iran, with people from all sectors of society taking to the streets in protest of the regime’s corruption and mismanagement of the country’s economy, as well as the mullahs’ oppression of the Iranian people.

A look at the latest protests and strikes in #Iran.#IranProtestshttps://t.co/zFLkk9xf0G

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 15, 2019

The following protests were reported by the MEK network inside Iran over the past few days.

Protests Reported on Thursday

A large group of contract employees currently working in the 9th oil refinery in the South Pars gas field in southern Iran protested the delay of their paychecks and pensions. The protesters are demanding that their paychecks be delivered by the beginning of the Iranian New Year on March 21st “so we can go home without feeling ashamed,” according to one of the workers.

In Sanandaj, western Iran, another group of contract workers employed by the city’s municipality rallied outside of the town hall to protest the delay of their paychecks.

Protests Reported on Wednesday

Slaughterhouse workers in Nahavand, western Iran, launched a strike on Wednesday to protest not receiving their wages for four months. The striking workers rallied outside of the governor’s office in Nahavand to demand their unpaid wages.

Municipal workers in Towheed, Ilam Province, held a protest to demand payment of their wages, which they have not received for the past six months. The workers held a sign that read, “We the Towheed municipality employees have not received our paychecks for the past six months. Please see to our requests. We can no longer raise our heads before our families.”
Nurses at the Medical University in Babol, northern Iran, demonstrated outside of the university dean’s office in protest of not receiving responses to their earlier demands.

In Kashan, central Iran, nurses at Beheshti Hospital launched a strike and protest over the hospital’s discriminatory policies and failure to pay their overtime wages or pensions for the past eleven months.

In Shush, southwest Iran, a group of retired factory workers from the Haft Tappeh sugar company rallied outside of the company’s door to demand their unpaid pensions.

A group of looted clients of the Padideh Credit Firm rallied outside of the prosecutor’s office in Mashhad, northeast Iran, to demand the return of their stolen savings.

Protests Reported on Tuesday

Looted clients of the Caspian Credit Union rallied outside of the regime’s judiciary in Tehran to demand the return of their stolen savings.

The Caspian Credit Union, which is closely linked to the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) is the largest of several state-backed credit firms that looted billions of dollars from Iranians in an elaborate government-sanctioned Ponzi scheme.
A group of municipality workers in Ahvaz, southwest Iran, rallied outside of the main entrance of the town hall to protest the six-month delay of their paychecks.

In Asaluyeh, southern Iran, employees of phase 12 in the South Pars gas field projects continued their strike. The workers are protesting their employer’s failure to pay their wages for the past two months and their pensions for the past two years.

Staff Writer

On Tuesday, March 12, reports emerged from MEK sources inside Iran of another series of protests breaking out across the country. Unpaid salaries have mobilized large swathes of the Iranian population. This time, it was clients of the Caspian credit firm, a company closely affiliated with the regime’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), that were demanding their money.

https://t.co/jFihIhVWOg Continued strikes of workers and the working people, and protests of looted people and other deprived people

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 7, 2018

An Unpaid Population

Since the beginning of 2019, railway workers, teachers, bus drivers, and taxi drivers have all taken to the streets over unpaid salaries and poor working conditions. Years of economic mismanagement, corruption, and embezzlement have left Iranian institutions hollow. Regime officials have plundered workers’ savings, leaving many Iranians struggling to survive in the midst of an economic crisis.

On Tuesday, the clients of Caspian gathered outside the offices of the Judiciary in Tehran to demand reimbursement for their stolen savings. They were the victims of what amounted to a government-run Ponzi scheme.

A Movement Building

On the same day that Caspian investors demanded their money in Tehran, in Southern Iran workers at the South Pars gas field projects were holding a strike of their own. The workers had begun their strike the preceding morning following two months of unpaid wages. There were pensioners among the workers that complained their pension had not been paid out for two years.

Elsewhere, in Tehran, students attending the Khaje Nasiredeen University protesting the ruling regime and campus officials’ neglect of their human rights. They released a statement that read, “we the students of Khaje Nasiredeen University announce today that enough is enough and [the] neglect must come to an end. The students’ basic rights must be respected and we demand all our rights be acknowledged.” Similar protests have taken place at Razi University in Kermanshah and the Science University in Mazandaran, sources from MEK report.

The students and investors are part of a wider resistance movement building in Iran. Everywhere across the country, workers, students, pensioners, ethnic minorities, and human rights activists are calling for regime change. Iranians have had enough of the persistent mismanagement of Iranian finances.

They are tired of the mullahs using the savings of hardworking Iranians to fund foreign wars and terror groups. They are tired of being kept in abstract poverty while the mullahs enjoy a lifestyle of opulence. They are tired of seeing their funds funneled to Hezbollah in Lebanon, Assad’s regime in Syria and the Houthis in Yemen, etc.

Iranian voices will not be silenced anymore. They are making their voices heard.

Staff Writer

On Friday, March 8th, thousands of Iranian-Americans held a demonstration in Washington, D.C. in honor of International Women’s Day. The demonstration was organized by the Organization of Iranian American Communities (OIAC) in order to call attention to the Iranian regime’s treatment of women and to ask the United States to recognize the right of the Iranian people to overthrow the oppressive theocratic regime.

The March of Freedom! The voices of demand for regime change, echoing the voices of Iranians inside #Iran #IranFreedomMarch at #DCIranFreedomMarch as the rally starts towards the @WhiteHouse pic.twitter.com/IA9BNIfy0Y

— OIAC (@OrgIAC) March 8, 2019

Demonstrators at the rally carried banners reading, “Recognize the Right of the Iranian People to Overthrow the Iranian Dictatorship” and “Victory is Certain, Iran Will Be Free.” Others carried signs saying, “Iranian People Want Regime Change,” held large posters featuring images of Iranian Resistance leaders Massoud and Maryam Rajavi, and waved Persian flags.

1_ Iranian Americans participate in a rally held by the @OrgIAC in support of a #RegimeChange in Iran, in Washington, D.C. on March 8, 2019. We support people's uprising for regime change. #DCIranFreedomMarch #FreeIran @RepEliotEngel @RepMcCaul @SpeakerPelosi @GOPLeader pic.twitter.com/cvhyfEQh0b

— OIAC (@OrgIAC) March 9, 2019

Speakers included Maryam Rajavi, President-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), U.S. Congressman Brad Sherman (D.), and former Reagan Cabinet member Linda Chavez.

Maryam Rajavi’s Speech

Mrs. Rajavi’s speech at the event was focused on inspiring the women of the world to support Iranian women in their fight to overthrow the mullahs’ misogynistic regime.

Distinguished personalities, honorable friends of the Iranian people’s Resistance, freedom-loving Iranians, I salute you all.I salute you for your determination to make Iran free, for your love of #Iran’s captive people, and for your faith in the glorious future of Iran#FreeIran pic.twitter.com/2YJ5GKxTDj

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) March 8, 2019

She lauded the young women of Iran who have stepped up to take leadership roles in the MEK’s ever-expanding Resistance Units. She went on to quote MEK leader Massoud Rajavi, saying, “As the Iranian Resistance’s leader Massoud Rajavi has said, the Resistance Units are ‘the tip of the spear and guiding light for the uprisings. They are the critical component in continuing and guaranteeing advancement and victory. The historic destiny of the Iranian people in their battle for liberation will be decided with the resistance units and rebel cities.’”

Mrs. Rajavi added, “Yes, change in Iran without being organized is impossible. Change in Iran without sacrifice is impossible.”

Rajavi noted that social and economic issues have “grown to catastrophic proportions” under the mullahs’ rule. She described the rampant poverty, water shortages, inflation, unemployment, environmental destruction, and lack of access to health care.

“So long as the clerical regime is in power, none of these ills will be resolved,” she said. “The ruling mullahs will become ever more dependent on their devastating policies, namely the suppression of Iranian society, warmongering and destructive meddling in the region, money laundering, terrorism in Europe and the United States, and plundering the assets of the people of Iran.”

She added, “The velayat-e faqih regime will continue all these policies until the day of its overthrow.”

Iran’s ruling mullahs will become ever more dependent on their devastating policies, namely domestic suppression, warmongering and destructive meddling in the region, money laundering, terrorism in Europe and the U.S., and plundering the assets of the Iranian people.#Iran pic.twitter.com/DirS6o7DDH

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) March 8, 2019

Mrs. Rajavi emphasizes that Iran is at a turning point in its history. She said, “The regime now faces one of the most difficult periods of its rule. The continued uprisings have destabilized the ruling structure. And there is no going back. Change in Iran is within reach more than any other time.”

Rajavi went on to speak about the democratic alternative for the future of Iran offered by the NCRI and the MEK. She stressed, “There is a democratic and competent alternative, the National Council of Resistance of Iran. A Resistance deeply rooted in Iran which is capable of overthrowing the regime and managing affairs during the transition so that the Iranian people can choose their true representatives through free and fair elections.”

Pay no heed to the absurd assertions of the mullahs and their international supporters who say that with the overthrow of the #Iran regime, there would be no force capable of controlling the situation.#DCIranFreedomMarch #FreeIran#IranRegimeChange

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) March 8, 2019

Finally, Mrs. Rajavi emphasizes the obligation of the United States and the rest of the world to recognize the will of the Iranian people to overthrow their oppressors. “The international community is duty-bound to respect the struggle of the Iranian people to overthrow the clerical regime. This is essential for global peace and security,” she said.

Rajavi added, “It is time for the State Department to designate the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and the infamous Ministry of Intelligence as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO). Doing so would be a positive message to the Iranian people, and a decisive message against the clerical regime.”

Reaction of Demonstrators to Mrs. Rajavi’s Plan

According to the Washington Times’ coverage of the event, many of the demonstrators who were interviewed were hopeful that Mrs. Rajavi’s ten-point plan for Iran’s future will prove to be successful.

 

“The fact that this whole event is led by a woman is just really exciting to see,” said a student at the event who was interviewed by the Times. “Gender equality I think is something that every country strives for these days.”

Staff Writer

 

 

 

 

On Sunday, March 3^rd, Iranian teachers mobilized for their latest round of protests and sit-ins. Teachers from across Iran staged demonstrations over the regime’s inaction to address their basic demands. Reports from MEK sources inside Iran indicate that teachers from Tehran, Isfahan, Mashhad, Shiraz, Karaj, Qazvin, Yazd, Kermanshah, and Saqqez, among others, protested unpaid wages and regime economic mismanagement.

A String of Protests from Educators

Iran’s educators have protested on a number of occasions over the last 14 months. Government corruption, economic decline, and unpaid wages have left Iran’s teachers struggling to make a living and support themselves and their families.

A full report on today's protests by teachers, educators & other sectors of #Iran's society.#IranProtestshttps://t.co/jwXG7CTIVm

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 7, 2019

The teachers have repeatedly demanded higher wages, economic reform to ease their financial hardship, free education for all, and equal rights for Iranian ethnic and religious minorities. Retired teachers have also joined the cause and asked for an increase in the funds allocated to the country’s education sector.

However, the regime has been steadfast in its refusal to even acknowledge the teachers’ demands. It has responded by arresting prominent teachers’ rights activists and threatened those attending protests.

Teachers have remained defiant and have turned out in vast numbers to protest the regime on several occasions. In December, teachers were attacked and arrested during a peaceful protest. On November, 12 were detained and held in regime custody for over their involvement in protests. They also staged strikes in October, and May last year. Each time, Iran’s brave teachers continued and sustained their protests in the face of regime threats, arrests, and violent baton and pepper spray attacks.

The Regime Cannot Stifle the Voice of Justice

Iran’s teachers, like other segments of the workforce, have shown that they will not back down in the face of violence. They will not have their voices silenced and stand idle while their peers and colleagues are arrested and subject to extreme violence.

#Iran’s freedom-loving teachers have once again risen up to demand their rights. They have staged sit-ins to declare support for the imprisoned teachers.#IranProtests

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) March 3, 2019

The protests are part of a wider movement across Iranian society. Led by the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK), Iranian people are rising up against their oppressors in unprecedented numbers and frequency. MEK resistance units orchestrate protests on an almost daily basis across Iran’s towns and cities, challenging the regime’s violence and oppression wherever it occurs.

On Monday, the MEK issued a statement in solidarity with Iran’s protesting teachers. The principal Iranian opposition called on international trade unions and educators to pledge their support to their peers across Iran and provide assistance to the protestors in any way they can.

Staff Writer

The week began in Iran with yet more civil unrest and disobedience.  Reports from MEK sources inside Iran say, protestors in Tehran, West Azerbaijan, Zanjan, Khuzestan, Mazandaran, Kurdistan, Kermanshah, Isfahan, Yazd, and East Azerbaijan, among other regions, staged sit-in protests on Monday.

More reports of protests and strikes across #Iran.#IranProtestshttps://t.co/Xwn5VOzpgB

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 4, 2019

Teachers across the provinces refused to work and demanded the payment of unpaid salaries. They are the latest demographic across the country to mount strikes and sit-ins related to unpaid wages. In late 2018, the workers at Haft Tappeh mounted a similar strike over unpaid wages. The workers had gone months without receiving their salaries, putting them under extreme financial duress.

A Day of Strikes

The teachers of Iran were not the only workers on strike on Monday. On the same day, railways workers in Neyshabur and Andimeshk also went on strike over unpaid wages. They also complained that they had not received the New Year’s bonuses they were promised last year. In Tehran, bus drivers also gathered outside the Ministry of Cooperatives over the same issue.

March 4 – #Iran
Teachers throughout the country are continuing their nationwide strike for the second day, demanding the release of jailed colleagues & fair pay/pensions, and protesting high inflation, skyrocketing prices & harsh living conditions.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/1luLBHhMlb

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 4, 2019

In one day, three workforces from across the country mounted strikes over unpaid wages. Nothing illustrates the cracks in the Iranian economy better than the unpaid wages racking Iran’s industries. The mullahs’ systematic looting of Iranian finances and institutions have left the economy crippled and key industries creaking under the financial strain.

Repression and Anger

Instead of embarking on reform, the regime prefers to quell protests and force its people into submission. In the case of Haft Tappeh, workers were arrested and threatened with execution unless they returned to work. Iran’s truck drivers suffered a similar fate when they embarked on nationwide strikes in 2018.

November 6

Employees of the Shadegan (SW #Iran) municipality are protesting & demanding their paychecks that have been postponed for the past 8 months.

Reports also indicate the truckers' nationwide strike has now reached 60 cities across 24 provinces.#IranianTruckersOnStrike pic.twitter.com/fWmJ7T9voU

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) November 6, 2018

The nation’s teachers, bus drivers and railway workers are under no illusion. They will know that in staging sit-ins and protests they risk not only their freedom but their lives. However, for these brave men and women, the situation demands protest. They cannot continue working in these appalling conditions, unsure of when the next paycheck will come, if ever, and struggling to put food on the table for their families.

Because of this, the Iranian resistance movement, including the People’s Mujahedin Organisation of Iran (MEK) has called on teachers and trade unions across the globe to pledge their support to Iran’s protesting workforce.

Staff Writer

 

The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran-PMOI (MEK) has called for the annual Fire Festival and the last week of the Iranian calendar year into a year of protests and fire against the mullahs ruling Iran.

March 21st marks the Persian New Year (Nowruz), which is preceded by the annual Festival of Fire (Charshanbe Suri). The mullahs have attempted to prevent public celebrations of the pre-Islamic celebrations, but the people of Iran persist in honoring their culture in what has become an act of defiance against the repressive regime.

December 2017 Uprisings

Last year’s Fire Festival came just weeks after the December 2017 people’s uprisings, in which thousands of Iranians in 142 cities in every province took to the streets to demand the overthrow of the regime over a two week period. Despite brutal crackdowns by the regime, including the arrests of over 8,000 protesters and the deaths of at least 14 protesters in custody due to torture, protests continued in the streets of Iran.

#Iran‌: Closing streets and performing aerial drills in Mashhad, fearful of the Fire Festival. #FireFest #IranProtests #4ShanbeSouri #Pompeo #MaryamRajavi
https://t.co/wyzFipVFID. pic.twitter.com/7XnnE8YtPT

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 13, 2018

A New Day

The 2018 Fire Festival became an act of rebellion for the people of Iran. Chaharshanbeh Souri is a pre-Islamic tradition of jumping over a fire to symbolize purification and a new beginning. Nowruz is a Persian word meaning “new day.” The MEK and Iranian Resistance organized demonstrations during Charshanbe Suri and Nowruz as a show of defiance to the mullahs and a vow to the people that a new day had dawned in Iran.

The @national fire #festival
We can and we must take back #Iran from the tyrannical @Mullahs
https://t.co/knbxLYbCSr pic.twitter.com/ZIbhjdz3Xi

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) March 10, 2018

One year later, anti-regime protests and strikes continue on a daily basis in the streets of Iran. People from all sectors of society have joined together in calls for regime change, and chants of “Death to Khamenei!” are heard regularly in demonstrations. The MEK’s Resistance Units have used social media to disseminate news and worked on the ground with diverse groups of people to organize an opposition movement that is too powerful for the regime to suppress.

 

The Festival of Fire is here once again, and the MEK is ready to celebrate this new beginning with another act of rebellion. The progress made over the past year cannot be denied, but there is more work to be done. Regime change is close at hand. A new day is upon us.

 

The following is the full statement from the MEK:

 

Fellow compatriots,

Brave youths across Iran,

The annual Fire Festival is here. We must turn the last week of the [Iranian calendar] year into a year of protests and fire against the mullahs ruling Iran.

Along with Resistance Units, we must tear down images of [the mullahs’ Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei, [regime founder Ruhollah] Khomeini and anything symbolizing the mullahs’ rule in all four corners of our country. Setting fire to any and all signs and symbols of Khomeini, Khamenei and [mullahs’ President Hassan] Rouhani brings joy to the Iranian people’s hearts.

Let us welcome in the New Year with a fire uprising during the annual Fire Festival.

This will be a launching pad to expand protests and the uprising throughout the New Year, at any time and any place.

We can and we must take back Iran from the corrupt and criminal mullahs. The spring of victory has arrived. This most beautiful country will be free.

March 1, 2019

Staff Writer

The Internet and social media have changed the way activists share information and mobilize followers. The MEK has shown particular skill in organizing the Iranian Resistance using social media, which has caused panic among officials at the highest levels of the Iranian regime. Over the past few months, a number of state-run media outlets and regime officials, including Iranian regime’s President Hassan Rouhani, have voiced their concerns about the threat posed by the MEK’s online activism.

Keyboard and Internet

Recently, regime Supreme Leader’s representative in Nahavand, Abbas Ali Moghithi, spoke about his fear that the MEK could overthrow the mullahs’ regime using the Internet. He said, “Today, the weapon that can eliminate our state is keyboard and Internet, which are in the domination of PMOI/MEK members. They spread news against us, one after another.”

Waging a Soft War

Yousef Tabatabai Nejad, the Friday prayer leader in Isfahan Province expressed the mullahs’ fear that the MEK’s use of social media to freely spread information to Iranians would weaken the theocratic regime’s ability to control the people through its clerics. “Some people have ruined the reputation of clergy on the internet and social media,” Nejad said. “These measures are conducted by some PMOI/MEK channels and platforms. They are intending to wage a soft war to make the people pessimistic about the clergy and changed their minds against us. We must do something against such measures.” Friday prayer leaders are considered the mouthpieces of the regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Their words reflect the beliefs and ideas of those at the highest levels of the regime.

MEK Controls Telegram

The state-run news agency Tehran Press also weighed in on the MEK’s use of the Telegram app to power the Iranian Resistance, writing,

“We were always lagging behind our enemies on social media and have been defeated by them. Now we can say undoubtedly that PMOI/MEK is dominating the Telegram messenger platform. We can dare say that the enemy, especially the [PMOI/MEK] organization, is in control of the Telegram platform. For those who should be familiar with this organization’s tactics, these remarks are not exaggerations at all and are in fact a reflection of our status quo.”

The Tehran Press went on to say, “If not 100 percent, the mentality of toppling [the regime], seen very active today in social media platforms, is very much influenced by the literature and terms of overthrowing that is used very vividly by the [PMOI/MEK]. This culture and vocabulary are witnessed in most Telegram groups, including political groups and even social groups. We may not believe it that many of the so-called principalists groups, those who appear to be loyal to the [regime], are not immune against the influence of this organization’s hypocritical culture. This is the mysterious and low-profile ruling state that continues to be active even in the homes of our senior officials. These days we are witnessing how the children of these loyal individuals and insiders are literally drowned in cyberspace platforms heavily influenced by the [PMOI/MEK] and are not aware of this reality.”

MEK Resistance Units Are Organizing a Revolution

The regime’s fear of the MEK is clear. The mullahs have depended on propaganda and censorship to maintain their control over the people. The MEK is using the Internet to bypass these measures and bring free information to the people. The mullahs have no way to stop the people from expressing their will, and their will is to overthrow the regime.

Staff Writer

Anti-regime protests in Iran continue on a daily basis in response to the country’s failing economy, government corruption, and human rights abuses. These protests have continued for over a year, despite the regime’s repeated attempts to suppress them.

Rail workers in numerous cities across #Iran hold protest rallies.#IranProtestshttps://t.co/2giF76B2jx

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) February 27, 2019

The following is an abbreviated list of some of the protests that have taken place in Iran and reported by MEK sources, over the past week :

Railway Workers

On Tuesday, railway workers in Tabriz launched a strike in protest of unpaid wages. Regime officials attempted to intimidate the workers, but despite their threats, the striking employees of the Islamic Republic Railroad Company blocked the railroad tracks and prevented the train from entering the station.

 

Unpaid wages for railway workers in Iran have been an ongoing issue, leading to several protests over the past year. The Tabriz railway workers went on strike for several days in January to protest unpaid wages but ended their strike after the regime promised to pay their wages in full. Unfortunately, authorities have not made good on these promises, and the railway workers were forced to strike again.

Meanwhile, in Shahrud, railway workers continued their strike for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday. The Shahrud railway workers launched their strike on Sunday in response to unpaid wages.

Railroad workers in Hormozgan and Kerman have launched similar strikes over the past week. The workers are all demanding that their overdue wages be paid.

Numerous cities across #Iran reporting protests by people from all walks of life.#IranProtestshttps://t.co/oSeeCkS9E9

— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) February 28, 2019

Regime authorities have refused to take responsibility for the problem, claiming that other organizations and authorities bear the responsibility for paying the railway workers. The Islamic Republic Railroad Company claims that its subcontractors are responsible for paying the workers’ wages.

 

While the regime passes blame, the workers who maintain Iran’s railroads are left without the means to feed their families or meet their basic needs. The MEK has reported on numerous strikes over the past year by workers who were forced to protest because their wages were withheld for months. The regime refuses to acknowledge its patterns of denying its people pay for their work.

University Students

On Tuesday, students at Tehran University protested against the university’s imposition of arbitrary rules in its housing system. Earlier this week, school regulators canceled the housing of several students at the university. The students were living in the married students’ dormitory. Students were angered by the action and scheduled a number of protests in response.

Taxi Drivers

On Tuesday, taxi drivers in Dorud rallied in front of the governor’s office to protest the arrest of their colleagues. They chanted, “Imprisoned drivers must be freed!”

The taxi drivers were arrested after another demonstration on Saturday in protest of poor working conditions. The regime responded to that protest by raiding the homes of the protesters after the demonstration and arresting four of them.

 

The drivers refused to be intimidated by the regime’s acts of suppression and gathered again on Tuesday to demand the release of their colleagues and to continue their protests for better working conditions.

The MEK’s Resistance Units work with protesters on the ground and through social media to organize and spread the word of strikes and demonstrations. Dissent can no longer be suppressed, and the people’s voices are being heard. The cries for regime change grow louder each day.

 

Staff Writer