Thousands of hectares of forests in various parts of Iran burn in fire

                          

Some fires were deliberately set for repressive and security objectives; others due to lack of attention by relevant government agencies

According to the mullahs’ regime media, in forest fires that began in the beginning of hot season in vast areas of forests in northern, western and southern Iran, irrecoverable losses were inflicted on Iran’s national assets. Considering the increase of temperature and decrease of humidity, such fires could have been fully predictable, and preventing fires or at least containing them and decreasing losses could have been fully feasible by setting up fire stations, constant patrols and taking necessary measures. 
The regime’s media, which always keep silence about these news or report the losses much less than the reality, reported that: “During past thirteen days, at least there were 10 widespread fire incidents in different locations in north, west and south of the country and several thousand hectares of pastures and forests of Hirkani, Zagros, Arasbaran and Irani- Torni burnt in fire. Hundreds of hectares of forest lands of the country from Latian Park in Tehran, wildlife conservation in Miankaleh, forests of Noorabad in Mamassani, forests of Pariz in Kerman, Shahanshah land in Khorramabad, forests of Golestan, Sanandaj, Dalahu, Pasargad, Jangal Abr and Arasbaran  and also thousands of hectares of forests in the region of Estahban in Fars province caught fire. (Etemad state-run newspaper- July 20, 2013) 
According to local residents, fires in forests of Nowsoud and Nowdesheh in Kurdistan on July 12 and 13 were lit deliberately by IRGC.  They say such fires have happened repeatedly in farms and forests of Kurdistan for “military and security” objectives in an attempt to have better control on border areas. Thus, the governor’s office or the fire department takes don’t do anything to extinguish the fire. Repressive forces even prevent people who try to put out fire.   
Mullahs’ negligence to such disasters comes at a time that - thanks to the mullahs’ regime rule - desert and wasteland areas are growing every day and forests are being destroyed increasingly. According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), “Iran’s forest areas are 11,075,000 hectares … which is 7% of the total area of Iran” (State-run daily Etemad- November, 12 2012). A decrease in the area of country’s forests from 18,000,000 hectares to less than 12,000,000 hectares shows that more than 33% of forests have been destroyed during the mullahs’ rule. 
The clerical regime refrains allocating any budget or providing minimum equipment to deal with these disasters. While the regime’s suppressive units use different kinds of helicopters to brutally crack down on protesters, there are no helicopters and equipment to control fire incidents in forests and pastures, and contrary to other countries, the regime does not use military in these incidents for extinguishing fire. 
The mullahs’ regime has brought nothing but massacre and destruction for the Iranian people. All country’s assets have been spent either for suppression of oppressed people or on ominous nuclear projects and export of terrorism and fundamentalism, or have been plundered by the regime leaders and their families.

Secretariat of the National Council of Resistance of Iran  
July 22, 2013