In an interview with France 24 released on Wednesday, Abbas-Ali Kadkhodaei underlined the need for making a distinction between people legitimately protesting over “issues related to livelihood and the economy” and terrorists and saboteurs.

“We have to be able to separate those who were protesting for their livelihood — they have to be honored, we must listen to their concerns and see what their problems are — and those who committed terrorist acts and sabotage,” he said.

The official also stressed that during last month’s unrest, security forces took action against “disturbances.”

Iran “has always listened with open ears to peaceful protesters; the authorities must respond to the people’s rightful demands,” he said. “But naturally, when there are disturbances — vandalism, attacks against government centers and the destruction of people’s property — it is the duty of security forces and police to take action, and naturally during these operations, …incidents can happen.”

Kadkhodaei further noted that the analysis of the events in Iran from abroad “is not always the correct.”

He further defended the nationwide internet shutdown during the protests and said, “If there’s a road or a freeway and terrorists come and do something, what’s the first thing you will do to the freeway? You will shut it down.”

In mid-November, the Iranian government raised gasoline prices in order to moderate the national consumption rate.

The move prompted protests in a number of cities that went largely peaceful, but turned violent when some took advantage of the situation to vandalize public and state property, and attack civilians and security forces alike.

The post Iran listens to peaceful protesters, but responds to disturbances appeared first on Iran News Daily.

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Iran’s daily consumption of gasoline has dropped by almost a sixth more than a month after the government announced its controversial fuel price hikes.

The post Daily consumption of gasoline dropped by %15.9 appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The post Gasoline Export Rise to 40 mln Litres; Iran Expects appeared first on Iran News Daily.

The post Gasoline Export Can Reach to 30 Mln Litres appeared first on Iran News Daily.

“731 banks were torched with fire, among other damages of recent unrest,” Rahmani Fazli said on Tuesday evening on state TV.

“Also, 140 public places, 70 gas stations, and 9 religious centers and burned 307 automobiles and 1076 motorcycles are among damages of recent unrest,” he added.

The minister acknowledged that some questions have been raised following the gasoline price hike “which we should respond to.”

“All governments which are a manifestation of their people’s vote want well-being for the people, especially our country which is a democracy,” he remarked.

Protests erupted in Iran on November 15 after the government announced an increase in the price of gasoline, a subsidized commodity that is still cheaper in Iran than other countries in the world.

The proceeds from the price increase are paid in the form of cash subsidies to 60 million Iranians, who account for about 75 percent of the population.

The rationed gasoline, which is 60 liters per month, is priced 1500 tomans (35 cents) and any amount beyond that is 3000 tomans (70 cents).

The calculation is based on the official rate of 4200 tomans per dollar. However, the value of the dollar, due to the U.S. president’s strategy of “maximum pressure” against Iran, is almost 2.5 times higher in the free market.

He said the crisis only began after the foreign-based Persian media entered the stage and incited people by broadcasting footages of other protests to show that the country is in turmoil.

To control the situation, Iran blocked access to the internet for days.

The minister commented on the internet blackout, saying, “When the number of arsons and destructions increased, we were forced to shut down the internet temporarily.”

He also said the Iranian authorities are well aware of the damage caused by the internet blackout but had no other choice.

“Protest is different from riot and the Islamic Republic tolerates peaceful protests,” he said.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) issued a statement on Friday blacklisting Iran’s ICT Minister Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi for what it called his role in “widescale internet censorship.”

However, Iranian people’s access to the internet has been restored to a great extent.

The post Damages of recent unrest; banks and gas stations on fire appeared first on Iran News Daily.

On Monday, people poured into Tehran’s main streets in very large numbers to show their allegiance to the Islamic Republic system and deplore rioters who misused the peaceful protests against increase in gas price to commit acts of violence.

On November 15, the government increased gasoline price. However, the legitimate public protests against the price increase were directed at sowing chaos through targeted attacks on public and private properties, forcing law enforcement forces to step in to stop saboteurs.

The rioters used guns and knives to attack security forces. The IRGC Deputy Chief Ali Fadavi said on Sunday that rioters shot at people and security forces from a distance of one to one and a half meters. Fadavi said the riots were contained within 48 hours.

Early estimates of an intelligence body showed that a sum of nearly 87,000 protesters and rioters had taken part in protest rallies and gatherings since November 15, when increase in gas price went into effect.

A large number of protesters, who over 93% of them were men, had only been present in the gathering centers and avoided joining the rioters in sabotage attacks.

“The identical methods of the main core of violent rioters discloses that they are fully trained individuals who have been prepared and looking forward for the situation to riot, unlike most people who have been taken off guard by the sudden hike in gas price,” the intelligence report said.

It showed that gatherings had been comprised of 50 to 1,500 people in 100 places in the country out of a number of 1,080 major towns and cities. The report said violent raids and damage inflicted on properties are larger than what happened in the February 2018 unrests.

Most cases of damage to properties had happened in Khuzestan, Tehran, Fars and Kerman provinces.

The report said most casualties had resulted from armed attacks on gas stations and military centers, adding that a number of police and Basiji forces were martyred in these attacks.

Nearly 1,000 people were arrested across the country while over 100 banks and 57 big stores were set on fire or plundered in just one province, the intelligence report said.

The post Not joining riots admired appeared first on Iran News Daily.