Iran warns residents of crackdown worse than January protest bloodbath and rounds up a whole lot of ‘traitors’
Iran has warned citizens of a crackdown worse than its response to the January protests when the regime slaughtered thousands of demonstrators.
The Islamic Republic, which claims to have arrested 500 ‘internal traitors’ for sharing information with enemies, is ramping up threats against its population as it continues to attack US allies across the Middle East.
US and Israeli fighters jets have stepped up attacks against Iran, with the IDF claiming it still has ‘thousands of targets’ left to hit as the war enters its third week.
The brutal regime has begun rounding up civilians it claims are helping its enemies, while sending threatening texts to the population, warning those who take to the streets will face a ‘blow stronger than January 8’.
Civilians have also received a constant barrage of messages with false claims about US deaths and impending victory, according to the Financial Times.
One message addressed to the ‘people of Iran’ on Friday said: ‘The wicked enemy, desperate to achieve its goals in the battlefield, is once again seeking to instil fear and instigate street chaos’.
The text, sent by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) intelligence arm, added ‘Internal traitors to the homeland’ who take to the streets will face ‘a blow stronger than January 8’, the date the regime began its massacre on anti-regime protesters.
It follows a series of threats from regime officials against the population as the Islamic Republic fears for its authority in the wake of the killing of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Families and residents gather at the Kahrizak Coroner’s Office in January confronting rows of body bags as they search for relatives killed during the regime’s violent crackdown on protests
Iran has warned citizens of a crackdown worse than its response to the January protests when the regime slaughtered thousands of demonstrators
In a message on state TV, one regime figure said: ‘Once the dust from all this sedition settles, we’ll grab you by the collar, one by one,’ addressing ‘liberals, supporters of the west and those in love with Zionism and imperialism.’
‘We’ll make your mothers mourn for you,’ he added.
Iran has so far arrested 500 people accused of sharing information with enemies, regime police chief Ahmadreza Radan said.
Half of those cases involved serious incidents ‘including people who provided information for hitting targets and individuals who took footage of strike locations and sent them,’ he said without going into detail on when the arrests took place.
Iranian media reported dozens of arrests in several regions on Sunday.
In northwestern Iran, 20 people were arrested after being accused of sending location details on Iran’s military and security assets to Israel.
In northeastern Iran, which has remained relatively untouched by air strikes, 10 people were arrested, with some accused of collecting information on sensitive locations and economic infrastructure.
‘As the Zionist enemy (Israel) and the U.S. are attempting to invade Iran, they simultaneously activate mercenaries and spies to carry out riots as the next step,’ a provincial branch of the Revolutionary Guards’ intelligence organisation said.
The Student News Network also reported that three people were detained in the western province of Lorestan for ‘seeking to disturb public opinion … and burn mourning symbols.’
Israel has begun targeting security checkpoints based on tip-offs from informants on the ground, representing a new phase of its assault on Iran.
US and Israeli fighters jets have stepped up attacks against Iran, with the IDF claiming it still has ‘thousands of targets’ left to hit as the war enters its third week
In January, weeks before the US and Israel launched the current war against Iran, there were widespread anti-government protests in Iran that were repressed in the deadliest crackdown in the Islamic Republic’s history.
Authorities had blamed Israel and the US for fomenting what they said were ‘violent riots’ aimed at overthrowing the clerical establishment.
Israel has struck police stations across and security checkpoints across Iran in what Benjamin Netanyahu has told Iranians will provide a ‘unique opportunity’ to ‘overthrow the regime of the ayatollahs and gain your freedom’.
In response lawmaker Salar Velayatmadar told parents: ‘It won’t be our fault if your sons and daughters won’t listen. The authority to open fire has been given.’
He added: ‘We don’t want your children to get killed, because they are ignorant. So make sure you control them.’
