“Public Discontent, Distrust among Root Causes of Iran Protests”

The report, which was prepared and sent to Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani based on his order, has quoted the following reasons as the root causes of the recent protests in Iran:

• Public dissatisfaction and a decrease in people’s trust caused by the incompetence and failure of state bodies to improve the current situation of society
• Wrong management of public opinion, increased demands and expectations, both in election campaigns and political rivalries, without taking into account the country’s resources, and an ensuing accumulation of unrealized expectations and public dissatisfaction
• Continued activities of Iran’s foreign enemies, including the US and its regional mercenaries, as well as the counter-revolutionary groups (MKO)

ISNA in a Farsi report has quoted Deputy Interior Minister Hossein Zolfaqari as saying that the report is based on specialized data collection and valid information.

He said that the report has been compiled independently from personal perceptions and the interests of political currents.

“Basically, in describing and explaining such events, the interference of such orientations leads to miscalculations and ultimately does not have a positive outcome for the country.”

Zolfaqari added that the loyalty of the people to the Islamic Revolution and its goals and aspirations, as well as the importance of the stability and tranquility of the country besides the concerns of the people for the country’s security led to spontaneous reaction of the nation, and the enemies, who sought to create armed conflict in the country, failed in implementing their plots.

“59% of the protesters were high school students or graduates, 14% had bachelor’s degree and one percent were with higher qualifications while the education level of 16% of the protesters is not exactly known. Moreover, 84% of these protesters were under the age of 35 without any police record,” noted Zolfaqari.

Referring to the lack of adequate accountability of administrative procedures in the various departments and institutions that are responsible for current affairs of the people, and the problematic nature of unnecessary administrative bureaucracy, the deputy interior minister warned if such structural defects would not be resolved with effective measures, it cannot be expected to see the grievances decrease.

Earlier this month, Iran witnessed peaceful protests against the price hikes and the overall economic condition of the country. However, limited numbers of violent individuals, some of them armed, sought to turn the peaceful protests into street riots. Mindful of how the violent individuals sought to hijack the peaceful rallies, the original protesters soon heeded calls by authorities to leave the streets.

According to officials, some rioters used shotguns and pistols to attack police and fire at the crowds of protesters. While sporadic violence continued for several days and claimed the lives of at least 25 people.