IRAN REGIONAL PRESENCE OFFICE DUBAI: WINDOW ON IRAN - JUNE

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 RPO DUBAI 000258 NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 6/23/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL IR SUBJECT: IRAN REGIONAL PRESENCE OFFICE DUBAI: WINDOW ON IRAN - JUNE 23, 2009 DUBAI 00000258 001.2 OF 002 CLASSIFIED BY: Kathleen A. McGowan, Acting Director, Iran Regional Presence Office, DOS. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (S/NF) Participant in Saturday Demonstration Describes Security Forces: A long-standing IRPO contact who splits his time between Tehran and Dubai described witnessing at least four different groups of security forces on the streets of Tehran during the demonstrations Saturday that were violently broken up by IRIG security forces. He could not precisely identify the affiliation of each group, but distinguished the groups from each other by uniform, equipment, and behavior toward the demonstrators. -The most intimidating force, in his opinion, was the group he alternately termed "nirooha-ye entezami" or "yeghaan-e vijeh" in Farsi. He said members of this group were dressed either in all black or in dark green camouflage and had protective padding on their uniforms. He noted that these force were the most heavily armed of the various forces on the street. They carried stun guns, pellet guns and special riot gear, including full coverage helmets. He said the men in dark green camouflage were responsible for most of the arrests he witnessed, particularly once groups of protestors were herded toward Azadi Square. He said they rode in pairs on motorcycles and often drove through the center of groups of demonstrators to force them to separate from one another. He described watching these forces use stun guns to take down demonstrators in order to then bind their hands together and put them into black vans. He did not witness the men in all black uniforms engaging the demonstrators, but described watching them encircle groups of protestors and take photographs and videos of them. -Our contact said he had not previously seen the second group, who wore "new-looking" uniforms of light brown camouflage and had "modern" equipment. Their vehicles identified them as belonging to "niroo-ye vijeh velayat, " or "ruler's special forces" (NFI). He said this group was not particularly aggressive and that their main purpose seemed to be deterrence: they were lined up in rows to prevent entry into Enghelab Square. He also witnessed members of this force arresting people for throwing rocks at shop windows. -He believed members of the third group, who were wearing dark greens uniforms, belonged to the IRGC. He said they had a heavy presence in both Azadi Square and Enghelab Square but seemed primarily interested in crowd control rather than dispersing groups of demonstrators. -He said that the fourth group, the Basijis, outnumbered the uniformed security forces by "ten to one. " While in civilian attire, he said Basij members are identifiable by their untucked shirts and were typically armed with clubs and batons. Some of them were equipped with helmets as well. -Our contacted noted that unlike the relatively peaceful demonstrations during the week leading up to Ayatollah Khamenei's Friday sermon, the regular police were nowhere to be seen on Saturday. ¶2. (S) Former Majles Member Comments on Unrest: A member of the 6th and 7th Majles seeking a visa in Dubai views a new election as the only solution to the unrest in Iran. He conceded that such a step was unlikely, however, and does not anticipate Khamenei or Mousavi to compromise. He expects the crisis to drag on and noted that the current situation is unpredictable. At the same time, he said that whereas the government forces have weapons and resources, the demonstrators do not. Commenting on the security forces, he believes the majority of the IRGC is supportive of Khamenei but that the LEF is probably torn between their loyalty to the government and their desire to avoid harming their fellow Iranians, but he was unable to provide examples to substantiate either observation. Regarding the bazaar, he observed that some shops have been closed but others, having been pressured by the government to remain open, are hesitant to close. Comment: The former Majles member was openly supportive of Mousavi but his comments did not seem DUBAI 00000258 002.2 OF 002 particularly biased. Still, his views appear to be based on his general sense of things; he had few specifics or details to substantiate his assessments. ¶3. [C] Professor Challenges Notion of Broad Rural Support for Ahmadinejad: A professor from Yasouj University, located in Kohgiluyeh va Buyer Ahmad (KBA) province in southwestern Iran, said he was shocked at Ahmadinejad's landslide victory. He claimed to have spoken to many folks from all levels of society before the election and Mousavi had much support. Ahmadinejad did have supporters in small villages, which the professor attributed to government control over the media and the financial benefits Ahmadinejad had provided, but he still claimed to have met many Mousavi backers in the same such villages. Despite frustration with the outcome, he said there had not been protests because it's a small city and everyone knows each other. Comment: According to the Ministry of Interior's election results, Ahmadinejad won KBA province with nearly 70 percent of the vote and Mousavi was second with 27 percent. The professor said he was a Mousavi supporter. ¶4. [C] Khamenei's Friday Prayers a Turning Point for Some: A young Tehrani in Dubai for a visa offered a less dramatic account of the situation, claiming Tehran "is not that bad, " at least not as bad as the Western media is portraying it. Aside from a few pockets, things were normal; he was continuing to go to work and live his life. He had participated in the peaceful demonstrations last week but had stopped following the Supreme Leader's Friday Prayer sermons. He said he expects a compromise to end the standoff. Comment: This applicant's comments bode poorly for the prospects of the opposition's challenge to the status quo in Iran. He did not seem particularly aggrieved by the election result, was persuaded by Khamenei to stop protesting, and generally expected a positive outcome but was no longer participating himself in the demonstrations. Anecdotal information suggests that many of the protestors are far more committed to their cause-and other contacts in Dubai are far angrier-but whether the majority will stand and fight or simply move on is an open question. ¶5. [C] Unrest Shaking Business Confidence; Strike Deemed Unlikely in the Near Term: Iranian businessmen who have traveled from Iran to Dubai this week described the recent unrest as "painful, but manageable. " While there is no credible measure yet of the economic impact of the election's aftermath, the Tehran Stock Exchange has fallen steeply, both in value and volume of trade, indicating that investor confidence is shaken. One business contact said that the working mood in Tehran is "grim" and described how he has temporarily closed his factory out of concern for the security of his employees. He said he is still filling orders but warning of possible disruptions in deliveries. He also stated that he is holding onto cash given the climate of uncertainty. IRPO contacts tell us that as of June 22 there were no indications of hoarding of goods or disruptions to government services in Tehran. Most retail stores, distribution networks, gas stations, and the postal service in Tehran appear to be operating as normal. MCGOWAN