Eyewitness Accounts on Fifth Day of Protests: Security Situation in Tehran, Unrest in Other Cities

Internet continues to be cut off in Iran. Contact with the country is only possible through direct telephone calls. Deutsche Welle Farsi has contacted several citizens inside Iran by phone to inquire about the situation.

Government media inside Iran claim the situation has calmed down after the peak of protests over the gasoline price increase from Friday to Sunday. However, the internet remains cut off and obtaining firsthand news from inside Iran is very difficult.

Deutsche Welle Farsi has spoken with several people inside Iran living in Tehran, Shiraz, and Isfahan, and obtained information about the general situation in these cities.

From Tehran, we were told that the internet is completely cut off and only government offices and banks are connected to the intranet system. Central and northern areas of the city are completely calm. Metros are running and banks and government offices are operating normally. However, security forces are present everywhere. Tajrish Bazaar is completely open and the main bazaar is almost completely open. Unrest has been reported only in the outskirts and eastern areas of the city.

Another witness from Tehran said the security atmosphere is only visible in specific squares and other parts of the city are completely normal. He also told Deutsche Welle that the protesters’ main concern is economic problems and their main demand is the return of gasoline prices to their original levels.

Another witness from Karaj said that in recent days this city has been severely restless and schools have even been closed. However, since Tuesday, schools in this city have reopened and travel from Tehran to Karaj is occurring normally without traffic.

Despite this, a “knowledgeable security source” in Tehran Province, in conversation with Tasnim News Agency, implicitly confirmed Monday night’s gathering at Sadeghieh Circle and said: “Last night all of Tehran was calm and there were no security issues. We only witnessed gatherings of some people at two or three points in Tehran such as Sadeghieh Circle, and with people’s vigilance and security forces, nothing special happened.”

However, an eyewitness at Tehran University told Deutsche Welle that the university atmosphere is heavily securitized and all students’ IDs are checked upon entry. Police officers can be seen throughout the main and side streets around the university.

According to reports from some websites inside Iran, Tehran University students gathered Monday evening for the second time in protest against gasoline price increases. According to reports, security forces and plainclothes officers were present around and inside the university alongside this protest gathering.

Videos posted on social media show that the doors of Tehran University have been closed to students and students are not allowed to leave the university.

Sunday night, security officers also arrested three students after entering Tehran student dormitories.

Eyewitness accounts from Shiraz: Helicopter gunfire at people

A Shiraz resident told Deutsche Welle: “Sometimes it seems the city has calmed down, but the city is in a state of war. Government institutions and schools in the city are closed, bakeries are crowded, and due to difficulties in transportation, meeting public needs is gradually becoming problematic. Only one gas station in the city is fully operational and some neighborhoods are practically devoid of government and security forces. In some parts of the city, police officers are sitting in their vehicles in the rain, and exhaustion is visible on their faces.”

Another resident who was planning to travel from Tehran to Shiraz told Deutsche Welle that instead of 12 hours, it took approximately 24 hours because transportation is practically paralyzed or semi-paralyzed.

Another person from Shiraz said that today (Tuesday), after three days, he took a shuttle service and went to work. The shuttle driver said that he came to work today to exhaust all options with officials that he cannot continue working at this fuel price. Work at the office also produces little work for them due to internet cuts.

Another person from Shiraz says: “At certain times of the day it seems the situation has calmed down, but then news comes that clashes are occurring at full intensity in this or that corner of the city. Protesters attack banks and government institutions in some places, but everyone agrees that attacks on homes and supermarkets are the work of Revolutionary Guard members. In one part of the city, protesters were shot at with a helicopter and now the sound of the helicopter coming is terrifying. In just one night, 80 injured people were brought to a hospital in the city.”

Eyewitness accounts from Isfahan: People are very angry

From Isfahan, Deutsche Welle was told that gatherings usually occur from six in the evening onwards and mostly in lower-class neighborhoods such as Mellat City and Imam Khomeini Street. In Baharestan city, medians have been severely damaged. Bank Keshavarzi in Vali Asr Square in Baharestan was burned down. Across the city, surveillance cameras and traffic lights have been smashed. The metro is still closed and schools opened this morning. However, universities are still closed.”

Another Isfahan resident said that Isfahan universities have been announced closed until the end of this week.

Another Isfahan resident told Deutsche Welle that the shopping centers in the southern part of the city, which is a wealthy area, are open but gold merchants’ bazaar and the markets in Imam Ali Square (Sabzeh Square) remain closed.

Another person from the Telecommunications Office on Imam Khomeini Street in Isfahan said that the internet is still cut off and only access to Iranian services and applications such as Snapp, banking payment systems, and Iranian websites is possible.

Another resident of Imam Khomeini Street in Isfahan who witnessed the bank burning with his own eyes told Deutsche Welle: “People are angry but the idea that someone has been trained to create tension is complete nonsense. Most of the demonstrators are young and teenagers and they make no effort to hide their identity. Officers use paintball rounds and arresting demonstrators is like drinking water for them.”

Source: DW