Tehran's Main Bazaar has AGAIN called for a national general strike today and an uprising against the Mullah regime by the same students involved in the Green Movement.
In response, the Islamic Regime has ordered ALL offices, private or public in 18 Provinces - out of some 25 or so, (which seem to change from time to time) - approximately "States" in the USA - to be closed down from on Saturday.
Ostensibly "because of hot weather" to give the employees a respite from the heat and also to save electricity.
And the added silver lining of all these people not using their cars, saving gasoline - of which oil rich Iran, without enough refining capability - is increasingly in short supply.
And scared of sabotage exacerbating the shortage, guarding gas stations with armed, para-military Revolutionary Guards (IRGC).
Claims that new technology upgrades by the Chinese of a couple of Iranian gasoline refineries have removed the shortfall are proving highly exaggerated and no way able to compensate for the embargo of further sales of gasoline to Iran to cover the 45% or so they need to import.
Sanctions will reduce supply even further and former subsidized pricing has been cancelled, so the populace will be unable to afford to run their vehicles.
However, the order appears to be a defensive action to prevent "sympathy" strikes nationwide for the Tehran Bazaar from becoming apparent and spreading.
NOTE:: The Bazaar merchants who supported Khomeini over 30-years ago are long gone. Enriched by controlling imports and exports in Iran after the fall of the Shah, they sent their children overseas for higher education and a majority of them returned to Iran with doctorate, engineering or high business degrees with which to run the lucrative business of their fathers or branch out.
So the current "merchants" are a very different breed and not the poorly educated but very experienced, abacus using traders.
Enter the IRGC taking over all major industrial projects in a no bid, unlimited overrun status.
Until fairly recently they left the Bazaar to continue with the strangle hold on "general trade" but with the economy faltering and major national projects and banking coming under Western scrutiny and sanctions, the lucrative Bazaar business - including essential foodstuffs and household items - invites a growing, greedy interest from the IRGC.
Last week in trying to increase income for the Ahmadi-Nejad administration, the Islamic Regime suddenly imposed a 70% tax on Tehran Bazaar merchants, who promptly closed their "hojreh" - mostly smallish single-front retail type outlets with an office area in the back - located in a maze of roof covered Bazaar "lanes".
(Grand indoor swapmeet style, where lucrative wholesale deals are made and retail sales to the public provide income but are almost a side preoccupation).
Also the returning, educated merchants have opened up individual stores outside the Bazaars or participated or partnered in Department Store type outlets.
However the Bazaar still has a strong cultural and emotional place in the average Iranian psyche.
Now comes an example of the only half-hidden underground power struggle between the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and the clerical regime of Supreme ruler Ali Khamenei.
As they now say in Iran: "is the IRGC obeying orders from Khamenei or giving him orders he finds himself obliged to carry out".
Observers are expecting a formalization of an IRGC coup by the paramilitary guards once push comes to shove in their struggle not only for power but for riches.
Might have happened sooner if various coalitions among the clergy had been more enduring as allies or enemies for the IRGC, which now appears to be ready to dump all religious accomodation and begin to rule by decree.
The Iranian economy, which has already lost over 100 Billion dollars from diminished oil sales, faces restricted ability to export goods with the shipping embargos on their own ships or aircraft and refusal by other flags to accept cargo, struggles with a population of which 70% is under their poverty level and try to survive on less than ONE Dollar a day.
The country increasingly takes on the resemblance a pressure cooker with a blocked up safety valve. Somewhat like Obama's America, with the latter's pressure level not quite as high but just as desperate, except in America people have not yet figured out the extent of their peril.
Some 50,000 workers in the Assaluyeh gasfield area have been laid off by a regime unable to pay them, with an effect on electricity production, which becomes increasingly intermittent around the country with daily blackouts.
Over 8,000 doctors have not been paid and have joined the estimated 40% unemployed and an even higher employed but "unpaid" figure, some of whom have not received their pay for as long as ONE YEAR.
City dwellers require at least a second job but usually THREE to make ends meet.
With Universities breeding dissent, President Ahmadi-Nejad has begun reducing the number of students permitted on campus and even closing down sections of existing universities. And putting in his own "administrations" to run them according to his "Islamic" preferences.
Although a fervent adherant of the Islamic Hojatieh sect, he is a former IRGC commander and his survival if the coup happens remains in question.
With the Islamic regime unable to pay their employees in full, intelligence agents of the Ministry Of Information & Security (MOIS, English acronym, VEVAK in Persian) work a 20-day month and ten days operating a blackmarket operation from Southern Iran.
They use their "untouchable" regime security status to import goods without paying any custom duties, even building special jetties in the South and sell the items at exorbitant profits inside Iran.
Meanwhile the Mullahs fund a half dozen purely Shia Islamic TV stations in the West and pay a fortune to multiple Diaspora media of all kinds to push their talking points, focused on the Persian language (Farsi) broadcasters and writers but also in American media read or heard inside our government circles.
And, as Obama could confirm if he were to be honest (don't hold your breath) buying political favors among American officials or helping them financially to get elected.
His focused Moslem mindsets have led him to protect and encourage strict Islam. Case in hand, his directive to the head of NASA Space Administration, stating that the new PRIMARY function of that agency is to "contact, interact and share American technology with Moslem nations to remind them they are important to space research".
Perhaps NASA could share our knowledge of EMP (Electro-Magentic Pulse) technology to improve what Iran already has and help them with the launch and aim of ballistic missiles so they can destroy us.
Bill Clinton did this with the Chinese so Obama must think it's his turn.
Or as someone joked, the head of NASA, confused as to what to do to please Obama and contribute to Islamic space efforts, has decided to send moon rocks to Islamic Iran with which to stone the poor woman, mother of two, they have condemned to die this way!
Although the July 9th, 2010 London video at the end here is predominently in Farsi and has a moment where an Islamic Consulate employee exiting his office opposite the demonstration receives chants of "death to terrorists" (in English) the most notable set of events in the last few days is the flailing around of the Islamic regime, trying to regain some balance in the huge cash flow deficit it faces internally.
SIDEBAR
Back in 1979, a post-revolution brass sign identifying the "new" Islamic Republic's Embassy or Consulate was removed from the wall at the main entrance and was put up at the entrance to the Mens toilets at Picadilly Circus Underground station. Where it stayed for about four or five days till someone took it down. In the meantime causing great amusement to thousands of Londoners using the Underground (subway).
Video of a London memorial protest of the suppression of the Shahrokhi Air Force Base (renamed Nojeh by the Mullahs) planned revolt against Khomeini after which even more officers were slaughtered by his thugs.
http://farsiposts.blogspot.com/2010/07/18-2010-july-9th-london-demonstration.html
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