‘Beware of the Day We Get Arms’: Protests Continue in Southwestern Iran

Demonstrators of the National Council of Resistance of Iran protest near the Iran's embass
AP/Christophe Ena
Adelle Nazarian

Protests in the southwestern city of Kazeroun, Iran, which left at least three people dead on Thursday, continued for a second day into Friday. Protesters warned the regime that they will one day have arms to defend themselves against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the regime’s forces.

“Beware of the day we get arms,” several protesters chanted, according to Shahin Gobadi, the European spokesman for the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK), who conveyed the information to Breitbart News in an email.

Iranian state media reportedly said some of the protesters also set fire to a police station, prompting officers to shoot at them.

In Iran, guns are restricted to the Iranian military (Artesh), high-level police, and the secret service (Sepah Pasdaran).

The protests were in response to renewed talk of a government plan to turn separate two of the region’s outlying areas and turn them into a new city. Residents reportedly feared the move would prevent its residents from receiving government funds as the nation has already experienced a series of protests, starting on December 28, over the deplorable state of Iran’s economy due to the regime’s misappropriation of funds.

Iranians have chastised the regime for using money to fund terrorism abroad and meddle in foreign nations instead of helping build the economy at home.

During its Thursday edition of “Straight Talk,” the U.S. government-sponsored Voice of America (VOA) Persian news network received a series of calls from Iranians from inside Iran. One caller, who went by the name Mohammed, said, “The government wants to use force to fix things instead of discussing matters with the people. There was no reason for blood to be shed.”

Another caller, Ardeshir, reportedly said the protesters were not just upset about the proposed city division but due to the economy saying, “Some of their dissatisfaction is related to other things, like the poor state of the economy.”

Iran’s Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi also weighed in on the situation in Kazerun, tweeting, “This regime has spilled Iranian blood again, this time in #Kazeroun. My heart beats for the brave, noble people of this city – with steadfast resolve and remarkable courage, they continue to advance the unrelenting pursuit of freedom & democracy in Iran.”

Adelle Nazarian is a politics and national security reporter for Breitbart News. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.

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