The Iranian regime officials have threatened the Iranian protesters with harsh crackdown as protests over fuel price hike going widespread across Iran since Friday.
Meanwhile, the state forces have launched a crackdown with at least 220 people dead, thousands arrested, and the Internet shut down across most of the country.
The regime’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei personally weighed in Sunday November 17, and called the Iranian protesters, “hooligans,” giving a green light to the security forces for killing of protesters in Iran. He instructed “officials in charge of maintaining security” to “carry out their line of duties.”
“The counter-revolution and Iran’s enemies have always supported sabotage and breaches of security and continue to do so,” Khamenei said. “Unfortunately, some problems were caused, a number of people lost their lives and some centers were destroyed.”
Following Khamemei’s televised remarks, other officials have issued statements calling on security forces to use every mean to crush the Iranian protesters.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) warned anti-regime protesters on Monday of “decisive” action if unrest over gasoline price hikes does not cease, state media said, hinting at a harsh security crackdown.
“If necessary, we will take decisive and revolutionary action against any continued moves to disturb the people’s peace and security,” the IRGC said in a statement carried by state media.
the Intelligence Ministry said, “key perpetrators of the past two days’ riot have been identified and proper action is ongoing.”
The statements might mean that a major crackdown in looming.
The regime’s president Rouhani
The regime’s president Rouhani also resorted to threats Monday. He addressed Iranian protesters who have closed off the streets with their cars & said “We have several monitoring systems that will identify the license plates and the drivers of the cars.”
Elsewhere, Hassan Rouhani called protesters “a small anti patriot group who are against national interests”.
He also called for a crackdown against protesters.
“We have to act decisively against mercenaries who are against national security,” he said in comments carried by the state-run ILNA News Agency.
Kayhan newspaper
Kayhan newspaper which reflects the positions of Ali Khamenei, published an article on November 18, saying, “execution with hanging rope awaiting hired thugs.”
Kayhan newspaper suggested executions loomed for those who led violent protests.
The threat was based on fabricated “confessions” made by arrested protesters.
“Some reports say that the judiciary considers execution by hanging for the riot leaders a definite punishment,” Kahyan said, without elaborating.
Though the state-owned newspaper has a small circulation, its managing editor Hossein Shariatmadari was personally appointed by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
It also repeated an allegation that protest leaders came from abroad.
Iran’s Judiciary spokesman
In a press conference on Tuesday Iran’s Judiciary spokesman Gholam-Hossein Esmaeili claimed that individuals who have sent videos of the recent protests to “foreign and hostile networks” have been identified and will be punished.
In his press conference Esmaeili also said that the Judiciary will adopt a “punitive policy” against those who endanger citizen’s safety and loot or destroy public property,” Mizan Online, the Judiciary’s official news website reported.
Esmaeili claimed there are individuals with affiliations to foreign powers, the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI) among the arrested protesters. He called on the public to separate their ranks from “rioters” and to report them to the security and intelligence bodies, the law enforcement, and the Judiciary.
IRGC commander
According to the IRGC affiliated Tasnim News Agency, Yadollah Soleimani, the commander of the IRGC in Tehran’s Baharestan County said “a large number” of the leaders of the protests had been arrested adding that the arrests were ongoing.
“We will not allow those who disrupt security in the society to have peace and will decisively pull out the rioters and seditionists from their hiding places with the information that we have,” he said today adding that they would be severely punished.
“With an iron fist, the Bassi and the IRGC will not allow anyone to be greedy and will break the hands of rioters and seditionists,” the IRGC commander threatened.
“We will give them a lesson they will not forget until the end of their lives.”
The enemies of the Islamic Revolution inside and outside of the country will not know peace,” Soleimani added.
Kermanshah Revolutionary Prosecutor
The Kermanshah Public and Revolutionary Prosecutor said that a “large number” of protesters had been arrested and that the “rest of the seditionists would be definitely identified and gradually all of them would be detained”.
“They have to be held accountable for their illegal actions,” Mohammad Hossein Sadeghi added.
He said that their crimes were severe and would amount to “corruption on earth”. Corruption on earth can carry the death penalty.
The Kermanshah Prosecutor said that a person who has thrown one stone or broken even one window has “to pay” for what he did.
“Seditionists will be severely punished, and we will not back down from the interest of the people even a little,” he said.
He also encouraged Iranians to spy on each other and hand over protesters.
“We ask all citizens to send us whatever evidence they have from the rioters,” Sadeghi said in comments carried by the IRGC affiliated Tasnim News Agency.
Judiciary head of north province
The head of the judiciary in the northern province of Golestan, Hadi Hashemian, said today that the judiciary would deal with protesters “without negligence, severely, decisively and without any kind of leniency”.
