The Reuters news agency has quoted sources in Khuzestan which claim that four people have died in rioting throughout the province. The government claims that it has arrested 30 people involved in the unrest.
Speaking to local newspapers, Saeed Saadi, head of civil protection in Khuzestan, claimed that the unrest was triggered by protests over a fraud scandal. However, opposition groups claim that Ahwazi flags were flown from many Arab homes in Khuzestan, indicating that the demonstrations had turned against the regime. The latest protests come 100 days after the "Bloody Friday" massacre, in which scores of Ahwazi Arabs were killed by security forces during anti-government protests.
Meanwhile, the regime has been fighting Kurds in the Kurdish towns of Oshnavieh and Mahabad amid ethnic unrest and calls for Kurdish autonomy. Two Kurds and three Iranian policemen have been killed in Oshnavieh.
Unrest in the Baluchi homeland, which straddles the Iran-Pakistan border, is threatening the planned Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline. India is reportedly concerned that the pipeline would be attacked by Baluchis, who suffer the kind of economic and political marginalisation experienced by Ahwazis in Khuzestan.
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keywords: ahvaz ahwaz ahwazi arabistan khuzestan khuzistan khuzestani arab arabistan iran iranian human rights security oil news ahmadinejad ethnic cleansing
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