Iran Uprising At A Glance (Day 180) – OpEd

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Iran’s nationwide uprising entered its 180th day on Tuesday, marking the seventh month of unrelenting anti-regime protests by ordinary people demanding their rights and to live in freedom and democracy.

Last night, people took to the streets in the capital Tehran and many cities across the country in a new wave of anti-regime protests. These were followed by protests today as the Iranian nation celebrated the annual Fire Festival ahead of Nowruz, the Iranian New Year, on 20 March.

Nightly anti-regime protests erupted again late last night and continued into the early hours of Tuesday, as demonstrators took to the streets in Tehran and many other cities across the country, marching and chanting slogans against the mullahs’ dictatorship. These protests were reported in the capital and the cities of Mashhad, Karaj, Sanandaj, Babol, Saveh, Malayer, Amol, Kamyaran, Qazvin, Yazd, Mahabad and others.

People in different parts of Tehran and other cities across the country celebrated the annual ‘Fire Festival’ by taking to the streets and staging anti-regime protests. These gatherings took place in Tehran, Tabriz, Karaj, Isfahan, Zahedan, Baneh, Qom, Divandarreh, Mahabad, Sanandaj, Zanjan, Piranshahr, Saqqez, Rasht, Javanrud, Naqadeh, Kermanshah, Kamyaran, Shahre Rey, Abdanan, Izeh and others.

Authorities in the cities of Mahabad, Saqqez and throughout Tehran Province sent security forces onto the streets and called in reinforcements to prevent the anti-regime protests from turning into major scenes of unrest.

In the city of Piranshahr in north-west Iran, locals held protest rallies despite the authorities sending large numbers of security forces onto the streets and militarising their districts to prevent people from celebrating the annual Fire Festival.

In Zanjan, north-west Iran, protesters burned a monument built by the regime in memory of former IRGC Quds Force chief Qassem Soleimani. In Karaj, protesters attacked an IRGC-owned shop, further demonstrating the Iranian public’s hatred of the regime and its repressive security apparatus.

In another development, workers at a steel factory in Ahvaz, the capital of Khuzestan province in south-west Iran, began their rally today to protest against the refusal of company officials to meet their long-standing demands.

Owners of various vehicles and trucks at the Fruit and Vegetable Distribution Square in the city of Shiraz, south-central Iran, are on strike, protesting the recent increase in vehicle tariffs.

Seasonal workers at the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company near the city of Shush in Khuzestan Province, south-west Iran, continue their strike and protests as their demands remain unaddressed by company officials.

The Count:
Days: 180    
Protests: 282 cities
Deaths: 750+ estimated dead, 664 published by MEK
Detentions: 30,000  

Hamid Enayat

Hamid Enayat is an Iranian human rights activist and analyst based in Europe.

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