Protests at Friday Prayer in Khorramshahr: 'They Plundered Us in the Name of Religion'

A group of residents in Khorramshahr protested on Friday, July 8, against the salinity and rationing of water in front of the Friday prayer venue, chanting slogans against some officials of the city. According to the official news agency of the Islamic Republic, IRNA, the gathering began around 11 AM and concluded with the presence and remarks of Abdolnabi Mousavi Far, the Friday prayer leader of the county, before the prayer. Based on videos shared on social media, protesters carried empty plastic water containers and chanted slogans in Persian and Arabic. Among the slogans were 'Incompetent officials, we don't want you,' 'They plundered us in the name of religion,' and 'Governor, go away.' In recent days, a call for this gathering had been circulated on social media. Residents of Abadan and Khorramshahr say that the water problem for drinking and hygiene continues, leading people to form long lines in front of water supply trucks. One resident of Abadan told Radio Farda on Thursday, 'The water is not only salty but also has an unpleasant odor and is not drinkable. People have to buy water, which is also somewhat salty.' While reports of water sales have emerged, Alireza Khalilinia, head of the water and wastewater department of Abadan, announced the distribution of packaged water for free in Abadan and Khorramshahr. Davood Hosseini, the manager of rural water and wastewater in Abadan, attributed the salinity of the water in these two cities to the reduction of the Bahmanshir River's water due to droughts. Earlier, the Abadan Water and Wastewater Department reported on June 19 that due to 'the salinity of the Bahmanshir River at seawater levels, the cessation of water extraction from this river, and pressure drops,' water would be rationed in the city until mid-July. Subsequently, Gholamreza Shariati, the governor of Khuzestan, and other officials promised that the water issue in Abadan and Khorramshahr would be resolved by the end of July with the full operation of the second Ghadeer water supply line. The Ghadeer water supply project began in 2010 for 'some priority cities such as Abadan, Khorramshahr, Masjed Soleiman, Andimeshk, Dezful, and Shushtar, and 1,200 villages in Khuzestan province.' Protests at Friday prayer venues have become a common practice in Iran recently, with previous instances involving workers, farmers from Isfahan, and groups from Kazeroon voicing their grievances during Friday prayers. In the meantime, several Friday prayer leaders in their sermons today referred to the protests by merchants, stating that merchants should be distinguished from 'infiltrators among the protesters.' Kazem Sedighi, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran, claimed that the root of the country's economic problems is 'not sanctions,' but 'disregard' for the Supreme Leader's directives and failure to implement 'jihadist' and 'resistance economy' plans. He added, 'The issue of currency fluctuations is known to the people; they must address the pains, or it will be too late tomorrow.' Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, also criticized government officials, stating, 'We have economic problems, but we do not have an economic crisis. The developments, however, are pushing economic problems towards a crisis.' The impact of the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA, which has led to a sharp increase in the prices of the dollar and gold coins, has triggered a wave of street protests among merchants in Tehran and several other cities. The Tehran prosecutor has reported the arrest of several protesters, and Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, has threatened that death sentences and 20-year prison terms will be issued for 'disrupting the economic system.'