Iran: A Report on the Spread of Coronavirus in Alborz Province and Regime’s Actions

The following are reports obtained by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) through its vast network from inside Iran and within the regime’s ranks:
According to reports from inside the regime, the number of buried people in the city of Karaj, Alborz province, due to the Coronavirus until April 18, 2020, was over 1100.

Around 30 people are dying and buried daily because of having contracted the coronavirus. Out of this number, 20 were diagnosed with the coronavirus and 10 suspected of being infected.
The same report adds: The death toll of those with heart and respiratory diseases who had passed away because of the coronavirus but didn’t pass the test of coronavirus is not included in the figure. Therefore, the real death toll is much higher than this. Since Karaj’s population is 1.9 million, out of the province’s 2.7 million population, the death toll in the whole province is far above the death toll in Karaj.
In the meetings of the Security Council of Karaj, which are held with the participation of all intelligence and security bodies of the province, Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) commanders and intelligence managers expressed concern over the security situation in the province and said that the security situation in Karaj and Alborz is critical. The recent closures have caused irreparable damage to the country, both economically and socially. The regime does not have the capacity to keep businesses shut down anymore, and the government cannot run the country, and the situation is explosive in every way.
It has been more than a month since businesses have been closed and the social situation have pressured families to stay home. The critical situation in Karaj has caused serious conflicts between the governor’s office and the IRGC, and each of them blames the other as the cause of the critical social dissatisfaction.
In order to counter the protests of people, a series of security measures have been taken by the IRGC, including the formation of security groups on the streets and groups in cyberspace with the Basij forces.
IRGC and Basij forces have used their previous experience in cyberspace to train new groups to promote the regime. Also, some Basij groups, while controlling the people, have taken sham steps to disinfect the streets.
The regime has mobilized both Basij and seminary students to counter popular protests in the province. Activation of students by the regime’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, was carried out after it became clear throughout Iran that the spread of the disease in Iran was by clerics and seminary students who went to different cities in Iran during the election period and spread the disease throughout the country. Seminary Students in the province, who work under the supervision of the IRGC’s Khatam-ol-Anbia Headquarters, are taking sham action.
The IRGC’s Khatam-ol-Anbiya camp has issued a directive to combat the coronavirus, which aims to establish an atmosphere of security and repression. Some of the guidelines of this instruction, which were obtained from within the IRGC, are as follows:
1. Forming a local headquarters to combat Coronavirus by having mosques as its center with the cooperation of:
–Basij bases and IRGC commanders
–The so-called “Fire at will” brigades with security forces
–Neighborhood mosques with their Imams as their leaders.

2. In order to have an open hand in the repression, the clerics and Basijis have been told that they are directly under the supervision of Khamenei’s office.

According to reports, despite all the repressive actions and fanfare by the IRGC and the Basij and the clerical network, since they do not solve any real problem, the situation in the province is critical and people are very angry.