Floods in Iran: Officials emphasize compensation for damages; some protests against the government and the IRGC are confirmed
While Islamic Republic officials emphasize that material losses of flood victims in various regions of Iran will be compensated, Iranian state media have confirmed reports of protests against some IRGC, parliament, and government officials.
Over the past few days, videos, images, and reports of protests against various political and military officials have been published in parts of Iran, including during the explosion of flood dams or the process of providing aid to flood-stricken citizens.
On Wednesday night, Ahmad Khadem Seyed al-Shohada, commander of one of the IRGC bases in southern Iran, told the state-run IRNA news agency, "Today we went to check the flood situation in the Amir Kabir sugarcane reeds area, and the flood-affected farmers in the area had protests."
Mr. Khadem Sayyed al-Shuhada says that some of the youth in the region have become "a bit nervous and emotional" and have protested, but "regardless of their anger, we will continue with our mission, which is to save people's lives."
He added, "We are forced to break flood dams in some places to divert water away from cities and villages, which will inevitably cause harm and loss to some farmers."
This senior IRGC official is referring to the breaking of flood dams in some areas, which is said to have been met with protests from people who do not want to lose their farms and agricultural lands.
Of course, verbal tensions have also developed between officials of this institution and the government regarding the activities of the government and the actions of the Revolutionary Guard.
Earlier, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesman Ramadan Sharif said that "the confrontation between the IRGC units and the people and the pressure on them to evacuate their homes in flooded areas" was a rumor and "space-making."
Another protest that has been reflected in the media and news agencies inside Iran concerns the presence of the Pol Dokhtar representative and the governor of Lorestan.
Yesterday, videos were released showing the presence of some Iranian officials, including Mohsen Rezaei, in Pol-e-Dokhtar and protests and slogans against them.
ILNA news agency now quotes "an informed source" as saying, "The angry and dissatisfied people of Pol Dokhtar County, due to the critical conditions caused by the flood and the failure to address their problems, as well as the officials' weakness in providing relief, reacted sharply to these two officials (the parliament representative and the governor) and complained vehemently about the current situation and the neglect."
At the same time, officials in the Islamic Republic have emphasized that the damage to the flooded areas “will be fully compensated.” Including Ali Larijani, the speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, who said last night, “Those affected by the floods should not worry about compensation for their losses.” The Leader of the Islamic Republic also said, “This devastation and destruction of houses and farms must and will be compensated.”
However, some observers, as well as social media users, are raising doubts, referring to the reconstruction process of some crisis-hit areas in Iran in recent years, including reconstruction and compensation in some areas after the earthquake.
For example, the Bam earthquake, which was still slow to respond and was accompanied by public and expert protests years after the city was destroyed. For months after the Kermanshah earthquake, people were facing a lack of sanitation, and a year later, thousands of people were still living in tents and shacks.
Crisis management during the Ahar and Varzaghan earthquakes in East Azerbaijan was met with strong criticism from officials and members of parliament. Protests against the performance of Iran's state-run Radio and Television during crises and natural disasters are another issue that has been raised several times so far.
Source: Radio Farda
