The major Iran protests in November 2019 rattled the regime’s foundation. These protests started due to the general economic problems, particularly a sudden fuel price-hike. A year has passed since the 2019 uprising, but the regime has not resolved economic issues, and another uprising is looming.
“When in November 2019, people became aware of the sudden gasoline price-hike by the leaders of the three branches of powers, protests ignited. Some considered the information method and, more importantly, the sudden increase in the price of products in people’s living basket, as the real reason for these protests, because all the people were affected,” wrote the state-run Sharq daily on Saturday.
The November protests soon became political, with people demanding regime change and attacking the mullahs’ centers of oppression and plundering. Protests soon spread across Iran. The fire of people’s rage was about to burn the entire regime.
Instead of answering people’s demands or decreasing the fuel price, the regime imposed a heavy crackdown on protesters, killing 1500 protesters. Thus, the regime failed to resolve people’s economic problems and amplified their hatred of the regime.
“The flames suddenly engulfed dozens of cities, and the initial protests gradually [reached a height] that could have been extinguished in another way,” wrote Sharq.
“The course of events from then until today must be addressed, and we should be concerned about what is happening in society,” Sharq added.
In its article, Sharq daily referred to significant developments and the crises which have engulfed the regime. That includes the elimination of Iran’s terror mastermind, Qassem Soleimani, in January 2020, the coronavirus outbreak, the regime’s inaction which has increased the mortality rate, the regime’s growing international isolation, economic problems, and people’s increasing hatred of the regime.
“We cannot easily ignore the November 2019’s protests, although it can be ignored. Unfortunately, the authorities, who must find the root causes of such incidents and eliminate them and seek treatment, have decided to do a cover-up. When the scope of the protests is widespread, and on such a large scale, the administration should look for a way to find the source of the protests,” Sharq added.
Sharq also referred to protests by all walks of life before the November uprising, which the regime oppressed, and people’s righteous demands that authorities ignored.
“Didn’t the security officials know and conclude in their analysis what the conditions of the society are? Indeed, they should pay more attention to the factors that lead to widespread protests.”
The real factor that results in people’s economic grievances is the regime’s mismanagement of Iran’s economy and the regime’s institutionalized corruption. Yet, the regime tries to blame international sanctions as the reason for Iran’s economic crisis.
“We are witnessing that [authorities] give the false address of the root to fluctuations of gold, cars, housing, etc.,” wrote the state-run Siasat-e Rouz on Saturday.
“Contrary to what [the regime’s authorities] say, the main cause of these problems is not outside the borders, but they have roots here, in the country. The main reason is the government’s mismanagement and inconsistency,” Siasat-e Rouz added.
“Every month, not only did we not see price stability, but inflation and prices increased daily. Only last month the prices of meat, poultry, rice, and most fruits experienced a strange increase,” read Siasat-e Rouz’s article.
In a nutshell, the regime is neither willing nor capable of resolving Iran’s economic crisis. Thus, another uprising by the people, who are grappling with poverty and now the Covid-19 crisis, is inevitable. People’s economic dissatisfaction, due to the regime’s institutionalized corruption, will result in another uprising. The ongoing protests in Iran by all walks of life prove that the mullahs have failed to resolve the economic crisis and instead are oppressing the restive society.
