THE CONTENT OF THIS PAGE WILL BE UPDATED WITH THE LATEST NEWS
UPDATE: 10:30 PM CEST
Clashes, Crackdown and More Resistance
As the night broke in Khuzestan, more people joined the protests and even though the crackdown intensified, people in all major cities of the province stood fast and continued their defiance against the brutal regime that tries to silence thirst with bullets, teargas, and batons.
July 19 – Susangerd, southwest #Iran
A large crowd surrounds the local governor's office demanding his resignation.#IranProtests #خوزستان pic.twitter.com/GZ1rMfMaED— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 19, 2021
#HappeningNow#Khuzestan—protesters in Shelangabad district, Ahvaz, resist and defend themselves against the State Security Forces' merciless suppression and use of live ammunition. pic.twitter.com/2ebly3VTOE
— Iran News Update (@IranNewsUpdate1) July 19, 2021
July 19 – Ramhormoz, southwest #Iran
Locals are taking control over their city roads and protesting severe water shortages.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/8KalKXWyZ6— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 19, 2021
July 19 – Khuzestan province, southwest #Iran
A brave woman in the front lines of tonight's protests forcing anti-riot units to fall back.#IranProtests #خوزستان pic.twitter.com/VTQ5lgZjCY— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 19, 2021
July 19—Khuzestan, southwest #Iran
Activists reporting authorities opening fire on locals protesting over severe water shortages.#IranProtests #خوزستان pic.twitter.com/DMCX0s93OA— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 19, 2021
UPDATE: 8:00 PM CEST
Despite Statewide Crackdown, Protests Go On
Rallies and protesting began this evening in Khuzestan and the people showed they are not deterred by the regime’s crackdown and the hordes of security forces. Independent reports indicate that the people of Lorestan have come to the streets in solidarity with their southern neighbors.
July 19 – Ahvaz, Hamidieh district, southwest #Iran
Locals continuing protests over severe water shortages into the fifth consecutive day.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/R5ZRuT7FVd— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 19, 2021
#IranProtests
Khuzestan—despite officials' merciless crackdown on peaceful protesters, defiant youths continue to march and rally in various cities. They challenge the entire ruling system chanting, "The people want regime change."#الشعب_يريد_إسقاط_النظامpic.twitter.com/1vZcUPDqV1— Iran News Update (@IranNewsUpdate1) July 19, 2021
July 19 – Ahvaz, southwest #Iran
Farahani Avenue
Locals are setting tires on fire to block roads as protests over severe water shortages continue.#IranProtests #خوزستان_آب_ندارد pic.twitter.com/24kys8XPMY— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 19, 2021
UPDATE: 1:00 PM CEST
Footage From Khuzestan Indicate Statewide Crackdown
According to local sources and material uploaded or submitted from inside Iran, the regime has widely used severe measures to crackdown on the population and suffocate dissent. The number of deaths was reported as high as 4 people so far but real figures and the numbers of injured are expected to rise as more reports come in.
July 18 – Susangerd, southwest #Iran
Activists are posting images of ammunition used by security forces to quell protests over severe water shortages.#IranProtests#خوزستان_آب_ندارد pic.twitter.com/uEvRbFX31c— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 18, 2021
July 18 – Susangerd, southwest #Iran
Footage of a young man wounded after regime security forces attacked and opened fire on locals protesting severe water shortages.#IranProtests #خوزستان pic.twitter.com/9GH7WIf58W— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 19, 2021
July 18 – Susangerd, southwest #Iran
Protesters have taken over the city bazaar (market) and forced anti-riot units to flee the scene.#IranProtests#خوزستان_آب_نداردpic.twitter.com/uqFn81DDy4— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 18, 2021
July 18 – Khuzestan province, southwest #Iran
Authorities are dispatching anti-riot security forces to quell continuing protests over severe water shortages.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/23ELFPKlNX— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 18, 2021
July 18 – Susangerd, southwest #Iran
More footage of security forces opening fire on protesting locals.#IranProtestspic.twitter.com/HGqvEo7YKL— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 18, 2021
July 18 – Ahvaz, southwest #Iran
A brave woman is seen shouting and protesting towards the regime's security forces.#IranProtests pic.twitter.com/1mslajIB88— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 18, 2021
UPDATE: 8:30 AM CEST
Iran: Coronavirus Death Toll Surpasses 332,100
The People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) announced on Sunday, July 18, 2021, that the Coronavirus death toll in 547 cities across Iran had surpassed 332,100. The number of victims in Tehran has reached 77,416, Isfahan 22,485, Khuzestan 21,116, Khorasan Razavi 20,195, East Azerbaijan 13,298, Mazandaran 12,855, Lorestan 12,850, West Azerbaijan 12,228, Fars 11,222, Alborz 9,473, Sistan and Baluchestan 8,841, Kerman 7,943, Central Province 6,818, Yazd 5,627, Hormozgan 5,375, Ardabil 4,040, Bushehr 3,734, and Zanjan 3,575.
#Iran Coronavirus Update
More than 332,100 people have died of the novel #coronavirus in 547 cities checkered across all of Iran's 31 provinces, according to the Iranian opposition PMOI/MEK.
Full Reporthttps://t.co/W2ewUa913w pic.twitter.com/5kqiBNeGYX
— People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) (@Mojahedineng) July 18, 2021
Iran: Widespread Protests Over Water Shortages, Economic Problems
People from different walks of life in Iran came to the streets on Sunday to protest unsolved economic problems and disastrous government policies that are making their lives hard. These protests took place in dozens of cities and across different segments of society. Under the rule of the mullahs, the Iranian people are faced with unemployment, skyrocketing prices, depreciation of the national currency, power blackouts, water shortages, and more. All of these and the government’s poor response have triggered ongoing and intensifying protests.
Why Are Rivers in Iran’s Khuzestan Province Dried Out?
Iran’s Khuzestan province is well-known for its abundance of bodies of water. A third of Iran’s running waters flow into Khuzestan. The province is irrigated by the Karoun, Karkheh, Jarahi, and Maroun rivers. Despite the abundance in bodies of water, Khuzestan has now changed into a dry province, where livestock are dying from lack of drinking water, palm trees are withering away, and the locals are left in thirst in the scorching summer heat.
Four Young Men Killed in Three Days of Water Protests in Iran’s Khuzestan Province
Iranian Arabs in the southwestern Khuzestan province took to the streets for the third consecutive night yesterday to demand water. On the second night, 26-year-old Mostafa Naeemawi was killed in the restive city of Shadegan. The state-run IRNA News Agency confirmed a young man was killed and said “seditionists” killed Mostafa in the protests. The regime uses the word seditionists to refer to protesters. Mostafa was a fishmonger in the local city market.
Iran’s Officials: “Social Crises Are Driving the Security Crisis”
The water crisis is another major challenge that Iran is facing, especially the people of the central and southern provinces of the country. Currently, more than 11 cities in Khuzestan province are in a state of water shortage and about 700 villages do not have water piping and their water is supplied by tankers, which obviously cannot meet their minimum needs. The state-run newspaper Setareh-e-Sobh described the causes of dehydration as a catastrophic disruption of environmental conditions and an ecosystem during four decades of the mullahs’ rule.
Read more: Iran News in Brief – July 18, 2021