In a blatant bid to play down the farmers’ own legitimate anger, the IRGC’s Saheb Azzaman corps said in a statement on February 28: “A number of profiteers and duped individuals infiltrated the gathering of farmers with the intention of provoking a riot.”
The IRGC was forced to acknowledge the widespread fury at the regime over the river that has blocked off the water supply for four years, adding in the statement: “These profiteers and duped individuals created a tumultuous night by stirring up public disorder, damaging a religious center and a center of the Basij, and damaging people’s vehicles and property.”
While more than 160 protesters are known to have been arrested and moved to an unknown location, the IRGC has only admitted to arresting two brothers from western Isfahan with the initials
A.H., for fear of provoking further public anger at their multiple arrests.
The IRGC has also been exploiting the protests to attack President Ahmadinejad, adding in its statement: “In this incident, beside the profiteers, the authorities are also responsible as they have been inattentive to the demands of farmers in eastern Isfahan by creating a difficult living condition for these toilers.
“The farmers of eastern Isfahan have been protesting for quite some time, but no solution or permanent assistance has been provided to them from any townships, province or state authority.”
The hypocrisy of the IRGC’s stance, and it’s attempt to blame Ahmedinejad’s government, will only be fully exposed when the regime is toppled by millions of workers across Iran who have been deprived of food and their basic needs for so long that even the ruling mullahs call the ‘Army of the Hungry’.