The Iranian Mayor of Ardebil says that the destruction has cost the city 7 billion Rials. ($770,000)
A scene from the Tabriz, Iran rioting last week after an offensive cartoon was published in a leading Iranian paper. (J.T.W. Network)
Protesters torched banks and government buildings on Saturday in northwest Iran in continued demonstrations against the regime:
Yaqobzadeh, the mayor of Ardebil said, “The troching of banks and government buildings on Saturday cost the city seven billion Riyals in damages.”
He also admitted that young people had set on fire a corrupt loan center known as Imam Jafarsadeq, NCRI informs.
At Revolutionary Guards Corps Joint Chiefs of Staff’s morning drills, the Maj. General Rahim Safavi, Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary Guards, said that the uprisings in Azerbaijan, Ardebil, and Zanjan provinces were instigated by outsiders. He added, “We have documents which prove that the outside elements directed the uprisings.”
Commander of the State Security Forces (SSF), Maj. General Esmail Ahmadi- Moqadam said, “In a bid to strengthen the operational units, half of administrative work force and two third of their vehicles have been allocated to these unites.”
The Iranian authorities cut off cell phones in the area for five days to stop the spread of this news.
But, it didn’t work!… Here is more on the situation in Ardebil from NCR-Iran:
Following the uprising of Azeri population in north western Iran, the Youth in Ardebil, torched a center known for its plundering of local people.
Ardabil’s mayor, Yaqoub Aziz-Zadeh said: “The city has lost over seven billion rials, equivalent of $765,000 during last Saturday’s riot where buildings and government properties were torched.
Damages were done to road signs, telephone boxes, traffic lights, ticket distributing stands, commuter buses and even rubbish bins throughout the city.
According to sources on the ground, the government cut off all cell phone communications in Ardebil for five days to prevent any news break out.
Rooz Online reports- “More than 2000 students had gathered on the university campus, of which about 20 were arrested by the agents. Amir Kabir University student publication reported on Saturday that 100 soldiers were currently stationed at the university.” 
ISNA has deleted all news about unrest at Tehran University & AmirKabir, here is a picture saved at Roozaneh blog.
The son of the late Shah of Iran was interviewed by the Wall Street Journal by Nancy DeWolf Smith and is pushing for a revolution from within. Aramehr has posted the entire interview:
Peaceful revolutions from within have worked before, so why, he asks, isn’t the West investing in the Iranian people — “the same way they supported so many movements in Eastern Europe that ultimately brought down communist governments that were under Moscow’s umbrella?” Dissidents are everywhere, in the universities, workplaces, the conventional armed forces, he adds: “There are thousands of cells . . . each trying to bring as much pressure as they can — but with very limited resources. Imagine the cumulative weight of all these resistance groups in a civil disobedience act —
Winston at Spirit of Man has a post up on the Western Standard about the Iranian protests.
Radio Free Europe reports that the university “disturbances” are picking up in Iran:
…Disturbances involving university students are picking up. In the past week several student leaders have been detained by plainclothes security personnel and are being held at unknown locations. Such incidents follow protests triggered by the Iranian government’s increasing interference in campus affairs. There are roughly 2.4 million university students in Iran, and student affairs will therefore have an impact on national politics for some time.
Six more journalists were arrested in northern Iran following the rioting over the Azeri cartoon.
Lori Byrd at Wizbang revives an earlier discussion with Michael Ledeen.
An anonymous commenter wrote in with this:
“The public prosecutor of the city of Tabriz announced that there has not been any killings and no one has died since the riot police only used BB guns!”
Reminds me of Baghadad Bob! LOL
Previous Iranian protest news since the May uprisings:
This Time Protesters Riot in Iran Over a Cockroach Cartoon!
Iranian University Students Protest Against the Mullacracy
Tehran Universities Erupt in Violence Overnight!
Ethnic Rage Swells in Iran, Revolts Break Out, Deaths Reported
Iran: U.S. Will Fail to Provoke Ethnic Strife… Oh, Really?!!
Regime Commandos & Hezbollah Thugs Pound Iranian Protesters
Iranian Student Protesters Released, Media Blackout Continues
More Iranian Protest Deaths Reported, Turkmen Join Ethnic Azeris
Despite Martial Law, 10,000 Protest in Tabriz, Iran
