President Raisi Pays Quiet Visit To Restive Abadan
Following days of anti-government protests and a heavy-handed crackdown in Iran’s province of Khuzestan, following the deadly collapse of a building, President Ebrahim Raisi paid a visit to Abadan.
Following days of anti-government protests and a heavy-handed crackdown in Iran’s province of Khuzestan, following the deadly collapse of a building, President Ebrahim Raisi paid a visit to Abadan.
Unlike normal visits by the president to other cities, which are usually announced beforehand so local authorities can organize state-sponsored welcoming ceremonies, the Friday junket was without the presence of people except for his security detail and a couple of city officials.
Protests began last week, when the 10-story Metropol building collapsed, leaving nearly 40 people dead and dozens missing. It quickly became apparent that the owner and builder was a powerful and well-connected businessman who had disregarded regulations and building codes, being backed by officials, who might have had their own financial interests.
He also visited homes of some families of the victims of the disaster that triggered protests in Abadan as well as in several other cities across the oil-rich Khuzestan province who have been taking to the streets to demand accountability.
During the visit, Raisi said people have the right to expect investigation into corruption and some businessmen's connections with authorities that led to the Abadan incident, adding that they should be dealt with quickly.
The sources said that Colonel Ali Esmailzadeh died when he fell from the roof of his home in Jahan Nama area of Karaj.
He was a close colleague of Colonel Hassan Sayyad-Khodaei, the acting commander of the elite Qods Unit 840, who was shot dead behind the wheel of his car outside his home in Tehran on May 22 by two gunmen who fled the scene on a motorbike.
Unit 840 is a very secretive group within the Quds Force and there are no photos of its members available.
Iran International’s sources also said that after he fell from the roof, Esmailzadeh was taken to Shahid Madani hospital where after examination doctors pronounced him dead. Based on this report, officials of the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) told Esmailzadeh’s family that the reason for his death was suicide. The IRGC officials further told the family that he ended his life due to psychological problems after separation from his wife and has left a note about his action.
A European security source last week had told Iran International that Col. Sayyad-Khodaei, who was assassinated eight days earlier, was in charge of planning terror operations outside Iran, including attacks in India, Taiwan, Cyprus and Georgia. Suspicions for his assassination fell on Israel and according to some reports, Israeli officials told the United States that they had targeted Sayyad-Khodaei.
In the case of Esmailzadeh, Iran International’s sources said that after Sayyad Khodaei’s killing the IRGC intelligence looking for security leaks from within the Qods Force became suspicious of Esmailzadeh and decided to eliminate him by organizing a suicide scenario.
