Dr. Reza Parchizadeh
Dr. Reza Parchizadeh (@DrParchizadeh) is a political theorist, security analyst, and cultural expert. He holds a BA and an MA in English from University of Tehran and a PhD in English from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), all with honors. He wrote his master’s thesis on Middle Eastern history and Orientalist philosophy; and his doctoral dissertation on political thought and cultural studies in the English-speaking world, and defended both with distinction. His major areas of research interest are medieval and early modern political thought, Protestant Reformation, Renaissance Literature, British Empire, Film Studies, American Studies, British Studies, Middle East Studies, Chinese Studies, Japanese Studies, Russian Studies, Security Studies, Foreign Policy and International Relations. Parchizadeh is on the editorial board of Journal for Interdisciplinary Middle Eastern Studies at Ariel University’s Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, the Department of Middle Eastern Studies. He is also an international committee correspondent for World Shakespeare Bibliography, the prestigious joint project of Johns Hopkins University and Shakespeare Association of America that constitutes the single-largest Shakespeare database in the world and is published by Oxford University Press. Parchizadeh is a former Ginsburg/Milstein Writing Fellow for the Middle East Forum, the prestigious research institute in Philadelphia that concentrates on threats to the national security of the United States. Currently, he serves on the editorial board of the international news agency Al-Arabiya Farsi.
Supervisors: Christopher R. Orchard, D.Phil., University of Oxford (Shakespeare Studies), David B. Downing, Ph.D., State University of New York (Theory & History), Thomas Slater, and Oklahoma State University (Film Studies)
Supervisors: Christopher R. Orchard, D.Phil., University of Oxford (Shakespeare Studies), David B. Downing, Ph.D., State University of New York (Theory & History), Thomas Slater, and Oklahoma State University (Film Studies)
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https://www.fairobserver.com/politics/irans-mahsa-revolution/
Read my research paper, “The Shiite Crescent: The Middle East’s Arc of Crisis” here: https://besacenter.org/shiite-crescent-crisis/
Read my research paper, “What Are the Revolutionary Guards Doing at Imam Hussein University?” here: https://www.ariel.ac.il/wp/mecarc/what-are-the-revolutionary-guards-doing-at-imam-hussein-university/
The Iranians vote today, in legislative elections, going under circumstances that may be the most difficult for the "Islamic Republic", especially after the outbreak of the Coronavirus in Qom and Arak, as well as the US sanctions that have burdened the political leaders there.
More than 7,000 candidates are competing for 290 seats in the Islamic Council Majlis. The Majlis is part of the Iranian regime, which is a mixture of rule of a religious and democratic nature in which Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has the final decision on the most important issues.
Western media and newspapers expected that the Majlis elections would result in a hardline parliament loyal to the country's supreme leader.
The Iranian-American dissident, Dr. Reza Parchizadeh, stressed that the elections in Iran are always engineered in a way that leads to what the Iranian regime leaders want.
In a statement to "Masrawy", Parchizadeh added that the Iranian regime controls the elections in different stages, so that only the loyal ones or directly affiliated candidates win a seat in the Majlis. This has apparently compromised the integrity of the elections in Iran.
The news agency "Agence France Presse" said that thousands of moderates were prevented from running in this election, which is taking place today, Friday, because they did not meet the strict conditions for running in the race.
At the same time, elections are held for the Assembly of Experts, which selects the Supreme Leader and has the authority to dismiss him.
Observers say the authorities hope for the people to participate in the elections in large numbers as a sign of support for the system. However, as Al-Arabiya satellite channel reported today, the percentage of participants in the elections did not exceed 25% across Iran.
Critics of Iran's rulers have called on Iranians to boycott the elections to show their opposition to what they call widespread human rights violations and intolerance towards any kind of opposition.
According to Agence France-Presse, conservatives and hardliners make up the largest number of candidates, which is likely to lead in the end to a political weakening of President Hassan Rouhani, who is considered relatively moderate.
Are the elections affected by corona and sanctions?
Tensions between Iran and the United States have increased since 2018 when U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the landmark nuclear deal between Iran and several major powers in 2015.
The elections come one day after the United States imposed new sanctions on Iranian officials; and days after the Coronavirus outbreak in the country that has killed 4 and affected many more so far.
The Iranian dissident, Reza Parchizadeh, who is a resident of the United States, confirmed that the Iranian voters refrained from leaving home for more than one factor, even though today is a holiday in the country: notably, for their fear of the Corona outbreak.
He explained that the Iranian regime initially tried to hide the fact that a large number of people throughout the country had been infected with the Coronavirus. However, with the spread of the news on social media, the regime had to publicly admit the truth within days to the elections. "This may actually affect the turnout in the upcoming elections," he said.
Parchizadeh explained that the new US sanctions at this stage will not affect the elections, but that they have a symbolic value for the future. He added, "The real turnout does not matter. The regime will show that participation rates are high in any case."
Advertising war on the media
Divisions over the elections were increasingly galvanized on social media, as pro- and anti-regime Iranians expressed their positions. It is difficult to predict the turnout at a time when many are frustrated by the deteriorating state of the economy and the failure of the Iranian president to fulfill promises to improve civil liberties. Recent crackdowns against the government have deepened opposition to the ruling regime.
Supporters of Ayatollah Khamenei touted their posts with the label "Strong Majlis" and "I Vote Because," with one tweeting, "Every vote is a bullet in the eye of the enemy!"
Iranians opposed to the regime, on the other hand, reacted with slogans like "I Won’t Vote!" and "No To Vote!" One of the critics tweeted, "If our vote could really change anything, they would never ask us to vote!"
An Iranian opposition figure said that the Tehran regime’s decision to increase the price of gasoline to about 300% was the "straw that broke the camel’s back" in his homeland, stressing that the ongoing protests in Iran will not calm down.
"The majority of the people are against the dictatorial regime in Iran, so the streets across the country are filled with protesters who demand the overthrow of the regime," senior political analyst Reza Parchizadeh said in an interview with Al-Ain News. He added that the Iranian regime has mobilized riot police since the protests began, firing directly at the demonstrators and killing a large number of them.
Parchizadeh, an academic from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, called on all freedom-loving people of the world to support the Iranian people in their fight against the regime of the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, especially after the Internet and telephone services were shut down in the country.
The Iranian opposition figure emphasized that the current protests against the high price of gasoline are witnessing public participation from all sectors of society throughout Iran, and that the protesters are actively defending themselves against attacks by the security forces and anti-riot police of the regime. He pointed out that the regime will face extreme difficulty in suppressing these protests as it will need to resort to more force.
In the end, Parchizadeh stated that these protests should be regarded with a “fresh eye” and from a totally new perspective. He did not rule out the fact that the policies of the regime may lead to the outbreak of a civil war and eventually to a regime change in Iran.
Video footage on the Internet showed that members of the Iranian police force shot directly at the heads and bodies of the demonstrators in at least 100 cities across the country. State media confirmed that Iran's National Security Council had ordered the Internet to be shut down across the country for 24 hours, while MPs blamed Iranian President Hassan Rouhani for the tensions in Iran.
Fars News Agency, which is close to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said that security authorities have arrested about a thousand protesters in Iran since the outbreak of the protests last Friday.
The official state media in Iran have put the death toll of the popular protesters at 36 across the country. However, the Persian-language Radio Farda, citing reports by human rights organizations, says that the death toll far exceeds the official figures.
Dr. Reza Parchizadeh, an Iranian dissident and a political theorist, said that most of the Iranian people are dissatisfied with the regime in their country, referring to the demonstrations that have taken place since yesterday in protest against the government raising gasoline prices.
There were violent demonstrations on Friday, confronted by Iranian security forces that fired live bullets at the protesters, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries.
Parchizadeh added that the regime has made the lives of Iranian people hell over the past forty years, as well as spending their money on terrorist organizations at home and abroad, which has led to the creation of regional wars.
The recent rise in gasoline prices was the last straw for the protesters, according to Parchizadeh, who confirmed that protesters have flooded the streets to call for the overthrow of the regime.
Parchizadeh explained that if the Iraqi, Lebanese and Afghan people could link their protests to those in Iran and unite against Iranian regime’s interference in those areas, then the regime can be in real trouble.
Protesters set fire to gas stations in a number of cities and blocked roads using cars and roadblocks as the government insisted on a plan to raise fuel prices. The Internet services and telephone lines were cut off in the capital Tehran.
The Iranian opposition figure who lives in the United States warned that the protests can turn into civil war if the regime continues to use violence against the protesters.
It is noteworthy that earlier today the Supreme Economic Council of Iran held an emergency session to discuss the repercussions of raising fuel prices and popular protests with the heads of the three branches of the government present.
The National Iranian Oil Company announced on Thursday evening the hike of fuel prices by 50% to the quota of 16 gallons per month, and by 300% outside the monthly quota.
This brings the price of gasoline in the normal quota of 16 gallons per month to 5678 toomans per gallon and the price outside the quota to 11356 toomans. The monthly quota for owners of cars is 16 gallons, for owners of dual-fuel vehicles (petrol and gas) 8 gallons, taxis 106 gallons and taxis with dual fuel 53 gallons.
For its part, the Iranian government insisted that raising fuel prices will be in favor of low-income families.