Interior Minister Denies Death of Protester in Khorramshahr Unrest

The Iranian Interior Minister denied reports of a death during last night's unrest in Khorramshahr. Meanwhile, media outlets report that 'calm' has returned to the city. On the other hand, the representative of Khorramshahr in the Islamic Consultative Assembly attributes the main problems of the city to 'the theft of officials.' This news comes after violence erupted during a gathering of Khorramshahr citizens protesting the salinity and shortage of drinking water on Saturday, July 9. Reports of gunfire directed at protesters in Khorramshahr have sparked widespread reactions on social media. Videos from the protests show repeated sounds of gunfire, and reports indicate that security forces fired shots and tear gas to disperse the protesters. Meanwhile, the official news agency of the Islamic Republic, IRNA, quoted a reporter who was present at the clashes in Khorramshahr, stating that 'some Khorramshahr protesters threw stones and objects at the police after a peaceful invitation to disperse.' According to this report, these individuals then 'moved through the streets, damaging some public properties such as banks and trash bins, set fire to a bridge in Khorramshahr, and reportedly caused damage to the Museum of Sacred Defense.' On Sunday, July 10, Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Interior Minister, responded to reports of several deaths during the protests by stating that 'there were no fatalities in the Khorramshahr protests; there was one injured person who was taken to the hospital.' However, Valiollah Hayati, the governor of Khorramshahr, told the state broadcaster that five people were slightly injured during the protests. Mr. Hayati announced the 'return of calm' to the city and added that 'investigations' show that those who engaged in 'disruptive actions' are not residents of Khorramshahr but have entered the area from other cities. Rahmani Fazli also emphasized the importance of security, stating that if security is established, there is 'no problem' with gatherings, but 'when protests reach the streets... there are individuals who take advantage.' He warned that if these protests do not end soon 'with the restraint of law enforcement and cooperation from officials,' the judiciary and law enforcement will fulfill their 'duties.' The highest-ranking official in the Ministry of Interior also did not consider the protests against water shortages and quality in Iran to be 'organized and security-related' and added that 'if the water issue is not managed properly, problems will arise.' Criticizing that he, as the Interior Minister, is currently forced to 'clean the streets' instead of focusing his energy on 'developmental work,' he spoke of 'some provocations' during the Khorramshahr protests. According to him, 'Why are these protests happening five days before the inauguration of the project? Because the people were not convinced that the media should play their national role to convince the people.' This official's reference is to the water supply project known as Ghadir for Khorramshahr. According to the Interior Minister, the Ghadir project for supplying water to Khorramshahr has been underway for 25 years and is set to be inaugurated on July 15. Rahmani Fazli also identified the contractor of the project as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters. Previously, IRNA reported that the 'rumor' of transferring water from Khuzestan to Iraq has fueled public dissatisfaction over water scarcity and poor water quality. Reports indicate that the hardness of the water in Khorramshahr and Abadan has recently reached 12,000 microsiemens per cubic meter, which is six times the permissible limit, effectively rendering drinking water in these counties unusable. In this context, the governor of Khuzestan announced yesterday that by repairing the 'Ghadir' pipeline, the hardness of the water in these two cities will reach 5,000 microsiemens per cubic meter and promised that with the completion of the second phase of Ghadir by July 15, this level will drop below 3,000 microsiemens per cubic meter. However, in response to the recent street protests in southern Iranian cities, the representative of Khorramshahr in the Islamic Consultative Assembly stated that 'the people of Khorramshahr have suffered greatly, but the fault does not lie with the system; the provincial and county officials have been negligent and have stolen.' Abdullah Sameri did not provide further details in an interview with the Iranian Society website. He cited the statements of the governor of Khorramshahr regarding damage to the city's infrastructure during the Iran-Iraq War as one of the main factors behind the current problems in the city and criticized that 'years after the end of the war, the problems of the people of Khorramshahr have not been resolved, and this city is far from prosperity.' Meanwhile, according to the representative of Khuzestan in the Supreme Council of Provinces, the issue of water salinity in some cities of Khuzestan is serious and 'at the level of seawater salinity.' According to Adnan Mohammad Nasari, water transfer by tanker also does not meet the needs of the people, and individuals are forced to buy bottled water for drinking. Southern Iranian cities have been in poor conditions for years due to adverse weather conditions, and repeated reports indicate widespread migration from these areas due to unfulfilled promises by officials to resolve problems. Khorramshahr was occupied for 587 days during the Iran-Iraq War, and its liberation on June 3, 1982, is recorded as one of the national days in Iranian history.