Videos from Iran Prove that Protests Only Continue to Grow - Analysis

In recent days, Iran has tried to flood the city of Sanandaj in western Iran with security forces on motorcycles, in an attempt to regain control over the area, and yet the willingness of protestors to confront security forces is apparent in videos that have been circulating online.

A series of videos obtained by the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis capture several minutes of footage of protesters confronting Iranian regime forces in at least two different locations. One video shows dozens of regime members arriving on motorcycles, some of whom appear to carry weapons. Throughout the video, explosions can be heard in the background, although it is unclear if the noise is the sound of live gunfire or not.

The security forces in the footage may be members of the IRGC Basij forces, or they may be other security forces and regime anti-riot police, as it is not uncommon for the regime to send plainclothes agents to attack protestors.

These clashes come after several nights of fear that Iran is trying to cut Sanandaj and other Kurdish cities off from the rest of the country and the outside world. Some sources say that Iranian regime forces have been firing on crowds and into homes, smashing up cars and cutting off social media and phone connections. It is hard to verify the death toll from these incidents.

Iran has also carried out drone and missile attacks against Kurdish dissident groups in neighboring Iraq, subjecting them to over ten days of artillery bombardment. (JPost / VFI News)

“God, we ask that you protect innocent citizens from Iran’s strict authoritarian regime, and that you help stop violent attacks against them.”