Iran news in brief, April 4, 2019

Iran news in brief, April 4, 2019

One Killed, Several Wounded as IRGC Open Fire on Flood Stricken Locals

At least one protester was reported killed and several others were wounded in Iran as the Revolutionary Guards on Wednesday opened fire on angry locals in villages around the southwestern town of Susangerd and Dashte Azadegan in Khuzestan province.

The IRGC had opened flood dams built by the locals in a nearby area to prevent floodwaters from entering their farms. The IRGC, however, was seeking to prevent floodwaters from entering oil wells in this area that are controlled by its units.

The IRGC units clashed with locals responding in self-defense, online videos showed, adding to officials’ fears that rising public unrest could threaten national security.

Flood Stricken Western Province Faces "Disaster" While Homeless Locals Live in Open Fields Without Tents

Iranian MPs are saying that conditions in the western province of Lorestan which was ravaged by floods in the past few days was “on the verge of disaster” with homeless locals forced into open fields without minimum supplies.

Mahmoud Sadeghi, an MP from Tehran said that the conditions in Lorestan “were on the verge of a disaster” in a tweet addressed to Iran Regime’s president Rouhani.

Floods in Iran – 150,000 People in 620 Villages of Lorestan Province Lack Water

People in flood hit cities, town and villages across Iran are complaining of regime authorities failing to provide any aid for the tens of thousands in desperate need.

Reports indicate 150,000 people in 620 villages of Lorestan Province alone are lacking even drinking water. A regime official in the city of Khorramabad, capital of Lorestan Province, says 120 local villages lack drinking water.

Floodwaters in Lorestan Province have caused severe damages to many rural and urban areas.

There is no means of commuting to 250 villages around the city of Nurabad, Lorestan Province, western Iran, according to the city mayor.

International Red Cross Denies It Spoke of U.S. Sanctions Impeding Aid to Iran

The International Committee of the Red Cross has denied remarks attributed to its president by Iran’s Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, about U.S. sanctions impeding flood relief assistance.

In an interview with Radio Farda, Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke, public relation officer of ICRC said that the president of the organization Peter Maurer never mentioned any specific country when he spoke at the UN on April 1.

Zarif had claimed in a tweet Aril 2 that Mr. Maurer told the UN Security Council U.S. sanctions are preventing the Iranian Red Crescent from providing effective relief assistance to the victims of two-week-long floods, which have brought unprecedented destruction to many regions in Iran.

Asked if ICRC sees any sanctions-related limitation with providing aid to Iran, he answered, “From our point of view we do not any limitations at this stage to our assistance to the Iranian Red Crescent Society”.

Iran Regime Responsible for Deaths of 608 American Troops in Iraq

The U.S. military has revealed it believes Iran has helped kill 608 U.S. troops in Iraq since 2003, according to newly revealed and formerly-classified numbers.

Brian Hook, U.S. Special Representative for Iran, said during a State Department briefing Tuesday: "In Iraq, I can announce today, based on declassified U.S. military reports, that Iran is responsible for the deaths of at least 608 American service members,".

He siad: “This accounts for 17 percent of all deaths of U.S. personnel in Iraq from 2003 to 2011. This death toll is in addition to the many thousands of Iraqis killed by the IRGC’s proxies.”

Since 2003, more than 4,400 U.S. service members have been killed in Iraq.