Iran News in Brief – March 6, 2023

THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS

UPDATE: 9:00 PM CET

Iran Uprising at a Glance – Day 172

Based partially on reporting by PMOI (MEK) Network in Iran

Monday, March 6, 2023 – 8 PM GMT + 1

• Days: 172
• Protests: 282 cities
• Fatalities: 750+ estimated deaths, 664 identified by MEK
• Detentions: 30,000

Iran’s nationwide uprising marked its 172^nd day, today, with the poisonous gas attacks spreading to more cities across Iran. There are reports of hundreds of schools being targeted and several hundred, if not thousands, of students being hospitalized for poisoning symptoms.

Gas attacks against schools in Iran continued on Monday. Reports indicate the Ali-Mohammadi School in Ilam, western Iran, a high school in Masal of Gilan Province in northern Iran, the all-girls Me’raj Elementary School in Quchan of northeast Iran, the University of Mohaghegh Ardabil in Ardabil in northwest Iran, and another school in the city of Marivan, in western Iran, were targeted.

Footage from the Divandarreh’s Khomeini Hospital emergency branch shows students who have been brought in for treatment after falling ill. More than 60 students have fallen ill. Regime operatives launched a chemical gas attack targeting an elementary school in Dehloran, a city in Ilam Province, western Iran, leaving a number of students ill. Many were transferred to hospitals.

There are numerous other reports of the latest string of poisonous gas attacks targeting schoolgirls in Shahrekord, Gachsaran, Lar, Divandarreh, Sari, Maku, Takab, Salmas, Amol, Marand, Mahabad, Qeydar, Nanaleh, Isfahan, Zeynabiyeh district, Andimeshk, Babol, and Sanandaj.

Iranian opposition coalition NCRI President-elect Maryam Rajavi condemned the ongoing chemical attacks by regime operatives while strongly criticizing the mullahs’ regime. “Belatedly, Khamenei has woken up and is looking for others to blame for poisoning schoolgirls in fear of an uprising. But there’s no one to blame other than himself, his agencies, and the elements under his command. Otherwise, Khamenei must accept a visit by an international investigative mission which we asked the UN to form from Day 1. In the meantime, we must step up our protests and demonstrations,” the NCRI President-elect emphasized.

In another development, Monday morning, retirees and pensioners of the regime’s telecommunications industry in Ilam, Mashhad, Kermanshah, Isfahan, Bijar, Urmia, Yazd, and Ahvaz held rallies protesting their low pensions and poor economic conditions. This continues the previous rallies held in previous weeks in several more cities throughout the country.

Us Senators Call For UN Probe Into Secret Iranian Torture Centers Exposed by CNN

The US Senate Foreign Relations Committee said the CNN report – which revealed a swathe of clandestine detention centers used by the Iranian regime to brutalize protesters into submission – demonstrated that Iran was prepared to torture its own people in order to quell unrest.

“The discovery of these secret jails is the latest example of the cruelty of the Iranian regime. The international community needs to hold Tehran accountable for torturing its own citizens,” read a tweet posted by the official account of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, linking to the CNN report. It said the revelations should be investigated by the United Nations Human Rights Council’s fact-finding mission on Iran.

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UPDATE: 9:00 AM CET

More Schools in Iran Are Targeted in Chemical Gas Attacks as Protests Escalate

Dozens of schools in Iran were targeted in the ongoing string of chemical gas attacks by regime operatives on Saturday. This trend is continuing today with similar attacks in three cities on Sunday, including Isfahan, Tabriz, Urmia, Ilam, and Kermanshah, with signs indicating these attacks will only escalate throughout the day.

Parents and locals in different cities were seen protesting on Saturday and chanting anti-regime slogans in response to attacks on their children. In some areas, regime security forces were seen attacking the concerned parents and protesting crowds.

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How the IRGC Controls Key Government, Parliament, and Police Positions

Despite the constitutional prohibition against political activity by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in Iran, the organization has sought to increase its power and influence by occupying strategic positions within the government, parliament, and police force. This article will examine the extent of this influence.

In the early days of the IRGC, prior to the rise of the Velayat al-Faqih, the organization worked to establish itself, eliminate its rivals, and defend the regime. When the Islamic Republic of Iran entered the war with Iraq and took control of the conflict from the official army, it marked a turning point, like the Velayat Faqih’s seizure of power in 1981.

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Oslo, Norway—March 4, 2023: MEK Supporters Rally to Support the Iran Revolution and Celebrate International Women’s Day

Oslo, Norway—March 4, 2023: Freedom-loving Iranians and supporters of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) held a rally in Oslo and expressed solidarity with the nationwide Iran protests. The demonstrators also emphasized the Iranian people seeking a democratic republic and rejecting any kind of dictatorship, be it the mullahs or a return to that of Shah’s regime.

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Also, read Iran News in Brief – March 5, 2023