Reports Indicate Security Forces Opened Fire in Khorramshahr

One day after residents of Khorramshahr gathered to protest the salinity and shortage of drinking water, it has been reported that on Saturday evening, a protest near the "Motahari" intersection in this city turned violent. According to videos received by Radio Farda, security forces opened fire and used tear gas. In the videos obtained by Radio Farda, repeated sounds of gunfire can be heard, and some protesters lit fires to protect themselves from the tear gas. In one of the videos recorded during daylight hours, police clashed with the large crowd at the protest. Radio Farda could not determine the exact date and location of these protests. This comes as the Islamic Republic News Agency, IRNA, reported that some protesters clashed with security forces on Saturday evening and caused damage to public property, prompting police to use tear gas. Around 3 AM local time, IRNA reported that calm had returned to the city and that police were maintaining control of the situation with a "serious presence." IRNA stated that no statistics on the injured or arrested during these events have been released, but "it is said that some protesters suffered minor injuries." A day before these protests, several residents of Khorramshahr had gathered in front of the Friday prayer venue to protest the salinity and rationing of water in the city, chanting slogans in Persian and Arabic against some local officials. According to IRNA, the protesters demanded "improvement in water quality" in the city. In videos shared on social media, protesters carrying empty water containers chanted slogans such as: "Incompetent officials, we don’t want you, we don’t want you," "In the name of religion, they plundered us," and "Governor, go away." Residents of Abadan and Khorramshahr report that the water problem for drinking and hygiene continues in these cities, leading people to form long lines in front of water tankers. One resident of Abadan told Radio Farda on Thursday: "The water is not only salty but also has an unpleasant odor and is undrinkable. People are forced to buy water, which is also somewhat salty." Davood Hosseini, the manager of rural water and sewage in Abadan, attributed the salinity of the water in these two cities to "the decrease of water from the Bahmanshir River due to droughts." Earlier, the Abadan Water and Wastewater Company reported on June 19 that due to "the salinity of the Bahmanshir River at sea level, the cessation of water extraction from this river, and also the drop in pressure," water would be rationed in the city until mid-July. Following this, Gholamreza Shariati, the governor of Khuzestan, and other officials in the province promised that the water issue in Abadan and Khorramshahr would be resolved by the end of July with the full operation of the second phase of the Ghadir water supply project. The Ghadir water supply project began in 2010 for "some priority cities such as Abadan, Khorramshahr, Masjed Soleyman, Andimeshk, Dezful, and Shushtar, as well as 1200 villages in Khuzestan province."