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Iranwire – Twenty-one days have passed since nationwide protests swept across Iran. The demonstrations have since been crushed by a brutal crackdown, but life in the cities has not gone back to normal.
Images from cities across the country show security forces and crackdown units everywhere, patrolling the streets in large numbers. Markets are still shut, and after witnessing so much violence, people have no intention of slipping back into their daily routines.
Mashhad: A City Occupied by Repressive Forces
“The city of the dead; the people you see most in the streets are the agents of repression.” These agents move through the streets in small groups, brazenly flaunting their weapons at citizens who refuse to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary.
This is the account of one protester from Mashhad – a man who was on Vakilabad Boulevard on the nights of January 8 and 9. His first sentence to IranWire is: “The smell of blood is still in my nostrils; I didn’t count how many wounded or likely deceased people we pulled out from under the feet of the crowd.”
Regarding the atmosphere in Mashhad one week after the bloody crackdown, he explained: “Businesses are all closed. Even markets like ‘Bazar-e Reza,’ which catered strictly to tourists, have shut down. Of course, supermarkets, pharmacies, and a few fast-food restaurants are open; essentially, only those directly providing food or medicine to the people are going to work.”
According to the protester, even though no official “martial law” has been declared, most people avoid leaving their homes after 8:00 or 9:00 PM because security forces are openly creating an atmosphere of fear and intimidation.
Another woman living in Mashhad told IranWire: “It doesn’t matter why we leave the house. Even if we go to the end of the alley after dark just to take out the trash, the agents might swarm us, interrogate us, or even check our mobile phones.”
According to this woman, the inspection of mobile phone content is even more stringent when leaving the city. She told IranWire: “They checked every single app on my phone. They even asked why I didn’t have any domestic messaging apps like Bale or Eitaa.” She added that while inspecting her phone, one agent told her: “We are checking the phone for your own safety, because Mossad agents want to shoot you from behind.”
Tehran: The Challenge of Closed Markets
The Grand Bazaar of Tehran remains closed, but no longer solely due to strikes. A Tehran merchant told IranWire: “Business has been stagnant for months, roughly since after the 12-day war. But since December 28, when we went on strike, the bazaar has been effectively and officially closed. During the protests, even before the events of January 8 and 9, many shopkeepers were either arrested or lost their lives. The shops of all these individuals are closed. However, we know their families are under pressure to reopen as soon as possible. Families have been threatened that if they do not open, the shops and the goods inside will be confiscated.”
According to him, even the shops that have opened have no customers: “Since last Tuesday, state TV (IRIB) crews have occasionally come to film and photograph the open shops, but opening or staying closed makes no difference; no one comes to buy, and even if they did, no one is selling. The streets might be empty for now because they killed people, but our problems with the price of the dollar and the shortage of goods remain. If I sell an item today, I won’t be able to buy the exact same item tomorrow. So, I prefer not to sell anything for now.”
The shopkeeper added: “They force us to open, yet we must close by 4:00 or 5:00 PM. If a shop is open after that hour, agents arrive and violently order them to shut down and go home.”
The situation at the Tajrish Bazaar is similar to the Grand Bazaar: closed shops and a lifeless market. A merchant from this bazaar told IranWire: “Except for shops selling fresh food, no one is looking to sell. Shops are either closed or sealed (pased). For a few days now in Tajrish, they have been sealing closed shops and sticking papers on the doors bearing the emblem of the Islamic Republic flag.”
He continued: “We have no way of knowing if the owners of these shops were killed, are in detention, or simply don’t want to open for some other reason. This forced reopening is meaningless; no one in this area is in the mood to buy fabric, shoes, or kitchenware, and no one intends to sell. But they have threatened to freeze our bank accounts if we don’t open. So, we come for a few hours and leave without a single transaction.”
Shiraz: A Security-Heavy City and Shuttered Markets
In the shops of Afif-Abad Street, the smell of tear gas still lingers; the marks of pellets and live ammunition remain on the doors and walls, and merchants have no intention of resuming work. A local resident told IranWire: “The street smells of death, the smell of the blood of the youth; this area is still closed.” According to them, only a handful of shops in the Afif-Abad commercial complex are open, and they too have no customers.
Shopkeepers in Qasr-e Dasht have taken a different approach: their shops are technically open, but the shutters are kept halfway down. Meanwhile, the Vakil Bazaar in Shiraz has reopened after pressure from security forces. The market may be open, but it is filled with security personnel and almost no citizens or travelers have come to shop.
In other parts of the city, a massive presence of security agents is visible. A resident of Maali-Abad in Shiraz told IranWire: “From late night on January 8 until today, security agents on motorcycles or heavy vehicles have been constantly patrolling. Even in the side alleys, agents are moving back and forth at all hours of the day.” She continued: “I know the situation is the same in other neighborhoods. Zand Intersection and Ostad Square, which saw huge crowds of protesters on January 8 and 9, are now occupied by repressive forces; the same people who killed our children have stayed in the streets to ensure we don’t return.”
According to this woman, everyone in Shiraz returns home before sunset.
The Islamic Republic has managed to temporarily clear the streets of protesting citizens with an iron fist, but according to the citizens, nothing in Iran will return to the way it was before January 8.
