Ali Daei: Officials are thinking about Gaza, Lebanon, and Iraq, not Iran

Ali Daei, a prominent figure in Iranian football, criticized the Islamic Republic's officials for their attention to "Muslims in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iraq," emphasizing that "the light that is permissible at home is forbidden in the mosque" and that "we must think about our own country and people." In an interview with the "Hamshahri Online" website, Daei referred to the explosion incident in the Tabas mine that resulted in the deaths of dozens of workers, highlighting economic problems and insecurity in Iran. He stated, "We cannot just forget everything with a condolence" to the families of the deceased workers in Tabas. "We must stand by these families and help them. This is also the duty of the government and officials." The national and well-known figure in Iranian football also stressed: "We cannot always think about other places. How is it that during this time, all our officials, when they speak, are thinking about Muslims in Gaza, Lebanon, Iraq, and other countries? First, we must think about our own country. We must think about our own people. I have heard an old proverb that says the light that is permissible at home is forbidden in the mosque." Earlier, Ali Karimi, another popular football figure and opponent of the Islamic Republic, referred to the regime as the "occupying regime of Iran" and stated: "Three days of public mourning for the terrorist Haniyeh across all of Iran, but for our Iranian compatriots, only three days in Khorasan! Do you still doubt that Iran is occupied by this clerical regime?" Daei's remarks come amid chants of "Neither Gaza nor Lebanon, my life is for Iran" that have been raised in recent protests across various regions of the country. Following the death of Hassan Nasrallah, social media users criticized the five days of public mourning declared by Ali Khamenei for the Secretary-General of Hezbollah Lebanon, while ignoring the deaths of dozens of workers in Tabas. Journalist Mohammad Parsi wrote on social media platform X: "The grief of the miners who died in Tabas is still fresh, 50 compatriots who were not honored with a single billboard. Not even a day of public mourning was declared in the country, and not a single black ribbon on national television; yet for Hassan Nasrallah, five days of public mourning and all the billboards in the city... Yes, this is how an occupied land can be!" Following the explosion at the "Madan-Juy" coal mine in Tabas on the evening of September 31, officials announced that 51 people were killed and 20 were injured. This incident sparked widespread reactions from citizens and political and civil figures on social media, with some observers calling it a "systematic crime" and blaming the Islamic Republic. Families of the deceased workers in Tabas stated that the workers were "sent to the mine under threat." Why are the governments of Raisi and Pezeshkian responsible for the Tabas mine explosion? A part of the program on the last page. The sister of the deceased miner stated: "Public mourning and condolences from officials do not alleviate our pain." Students gathered in front of the Ministry of Labor, demanding the resignation of the Minister of Labor after the Tabas incident. Reactions from Iranian users to Nasrallah's death: "We will dance on your graves." Warnings from oil activists regarding the occurrence of incidents at work in gas platforms and refineries in Iran. Continued reactions to the deaths of dozens of workers in Tabas; the Tehran Teachers' Guild demanded clear accountability from officials.