An official in Khuzestan province has announced that a total of 148 people lost their lives during five days of protests in Mahshahr.
The majority of those killed were people who took part in demonstrations between Friday, November 15 and the evening of Tuesday, November 19. But observers and security force personnel were also among the dead, and there are rumors that some of those ordered to crack down on protesters belonged to units made up of non-Iranian forces.
Security forces cracked down on protests across the province of Khuzestan, in Mahshahr, which is key to Iran’s petrochemical industry, but also in the towns of Sarbandar and Jarahi Town during the weekend of November 16 and 17, and later, on Monday, November 18, in Nazyar. The crackdown in Kureh (also known as Taleghani) began on the same day, lasting until Tuesday, November 19.
IranWire has been informed there is evidence that the deaths of security personnel mainly happened during protests in Kureh on Tuesday, November 19. One eyewitness told IranWire said that the forces operating n in Kureh were from non-Iranian Quds Force brigades — meaning that those who died were not Iranian. However, IranWire and other media are so far unable to confirm this claim.
According to a document obtained by IranWire, security forces in Mahshahr had expected unrest following the announcement of the hike in fuel prices on November 15, and were able to take steps to deal with it. IranWire is not able to publish the document for security reasons.
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