Khamenei's warning about "America's plan" for Iran in 2019

Ali Khamenei said that the US may have drawn up a “map” for 2019. He also claimed that the US wants to start a “civil war” in Iran “with the help of sanctions and anti-security measures.” Rouhani also said: “We cannot say that the situation is normal.”

On Wednesday, December 12, Leader of the Islamic Republic Ali Khamenei, referring to the statements made by American officials on the "first of the year" that the Islamic Republic "will have a hot summer and will not see its 40th anniversary," said: "Despite their blindness, this summer was one of the best summers, and the Iranian nation will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution with great splendor on February 12 of this year."

Emphasizing that “officials must be careful,” the Leader of the Islamic Republic added: “The fact that the Americans said we would do this and that in 2018 may be a deception; they may create a stir in 2018 and have drawn up a plan for 2019. Everyone should be careful.”

"America's Map" for the Civil War

Khamenei emphasized: "America's plan is to create discord, civil war, and problems in our country with the help of sanctions and anti-security activities."

Among the events of last summer, which the Leader of the Islamic Republic has referred to as "the best summers," were the protest demonstrations in mid-August in several Iranian cities, such as Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz, Mashhad, and Karaj.

Human Rights Watch reported in mid-November that the Islamic Republic’s judiciary had sentenced at least 24 people to between six months and six years in prison on “vague” security charges in connection with the August protests. According to the human rights organization, these individuals were among 50 people arrested on August 2, 2018, during protests in Tehran against the deteriorating economic situation.

Before the demonstrations in mid-summer last year, tens of thousands of Iranians protested in nearly 100 cities across the country in January 2017. Dozens of people were killed and thousands were arrested during these street protests. Several of those arrested in the unrest later died suspiciously in prison.

Rouhani: We cannot say that the situation is normal

Simultaneously with Khamenei's warning about the possibility of an "American plan" for 2019, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani also said in today's government meeting: "We are now in a period of sanctions, and during a period of sanctions, people naturally face problems."

Rouhani added: "It is a kind of economic and psychological war, and we cannot say that the conditions are normal. In these difficult circumstances, we must all help each other with unity. One of the most important issues is that people do not face difficulties in accessing basic goods and that prices in the market are balanced so that people are not treated unfairly."

The nationwide demonstrations in Iran in January and August began with demands for livelihoods and in protest of the dire economic situation. However, during the protests, people's slogans quickly took on a political tone, targeting high-ranking Iranian officials such as the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic and the entire structure of the regime.

Meanwhile, not only has public dissatisfaction with the economic situation not diminished, but it has also been on the rise. According to Iranian media reports, the current increase in food prices of at least 50 percent and an average inflation of 25 percent have even turned “hunger” and, consequently, “food poverty” into a serious crisis.

According to calculations by the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the poverty line has increased by over 25 percent in the summer of this year compared to the same period last year. The same report has assessed the government's policy in supporting families with incomes below three and a half million tomans as ineffective.

After the US withdrawal from the JCPOA and the reimposition of US sanctions against Iran, followed by unprecedented currency fluctuations and a sharp decline in people's purchasing power, Iranian society witnessed widespread protests by workers and low-income groups.

The truckers' strike, the protests and demonstrations by workers at Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company and the Ahvaz National Steel Industrial Group, the demands of workers at the Tehran Bus Company, as well as popular solidarity and student support for workers at Haft Tappeh Sugarcane and Ahvaz Steel, have been manifestations of public dissatisfaction with the chaotic economic situation in Iran in recent days and months.

During these protests, a large number of labor and civil activists were arrested, among whom Ali Nejati, a worker representative of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Company, and Sepideh Qolyan, a journalist and civil activist, are still in prison.

Source: DW