Prince Reza Pahlavi: The collapse of the Metropole Tower is a sign of "the depth of corruption and incompetence of the Islamic Republic"

Hours after the collapse of the Metropolis Twin Towers in Abadan, Prince Reza Pahlavi called the incident "representative of the depth of corruption and incompetence of the Islamic Republic" and said that he "shared the grief of the people of Abadan and the bereaved families."

Prince Reza Pahlavi wrote in a tweet: "Abadan was once a symbol of the prosperity of our country, and now, 44 years after the Cinema Rex crime, it is a symbol of the oppression that these Iranian criminals have inflicted on Iran and Iranians."

The Abadan Cinema Rex fire incident on August 18, 1978, resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people and increased public anger. Opponents of the Shah blamed the then-government apparatus for the fire and the deaths of the spectators, but decades later, Mohsen Safaei Farahani, a reformist in Iran, stated in an interview that “the crime of the Abadan Cinema Rex was not committed by the Shah’s regime; the perpetrators of this crime became members of parliament after the revolution.”

While a number of citizens are still trapped under rubble on Amiri Street in Abadan, video reports indicate that the main column on the eastern side of the Metropole Tower is separating, and the risk of other parts of this 10-story building collapsing continues to threaten the people of Abadan.

Reports also indicate that riot police have been deployed at the scene of the incident and that there is a ban on movement.

After the collapse of the Metropole Twin Towers, which were reportedly built using bribery and bribery, without safety precautions, a large group of Abadan citizens held a protest rally and chanted: "Abadan, without an owner, is the owner of honor today."

Six people have been reported dead and 35 injured in this incident so far, and a number of citizens are still trapped under the rubble.