The Dark Record of Dictatorship and Ideology of Iran’s Past and Present Regimes Against the Occupied Ahwazi Arab Nation

The Dark Record of Dictatorship and Ideology of Iran’s Past and Present Regimes Against the Occupied Ahwazi Arab Nation

With the rise of Iran’s clerical regime in 1979, the Islamic Republic of Iran adopted aggressive and repressive policies against non-Persian nations and religious minorities, severely impacting their living conditions. One such nation is the Arab people of Ahwaz. The occupied region of Ahwaz is considered the economic heart of Iran’s authoritarian regime due to its vast oil and gas resources. This significance has led both past and present Iranian regimes over the past century to intensify their oppressive, discriminatory, and ideological policies against the Ahwazi Arab people.

One of the first actions by these regimes after the occupation of Ahwaz was an effort to enforce cultural and linguistic assimilation. Ahwaz, with a rich history of Arabic language, culture, and identity, faced aggressive policies aimed at erasure. The Arabic language, once the official and daily spoken language of the Ahwazi people, was gradually eliminated from education and public media. Persian was imposed as the mandatory language in schools, government institutions, and media, posing a serious threat to the cultural identity of the Ahwazi people.

Economically, the Iranian regimes have exploited Ahwaz’s oil and gas resources for the benefit of the central government, depriving the local population of any share in the wealth generated from their own land. Despite being Iran’s largest oil and gas producing region, the Ahwazi people face high unemployment, systemic discrimination, poverty, and severe economic inequality. The resources of Ahwaz are extracted for the benefit of the Tehran regime, while the native population remains deeply marginalized and excluded from these revenues.

Politically, the Ahwazi Arab nation has been subjected to the harshest forms of repression over the past century. Any attempt to protest or demand civil and political rights has been met with brutal and bloody crackdowns. Protests against discriminatory policies have often ended in military suppression and mass executions. Many political and social activists from the region have been arrested under charges of “threatening national security” and sentenced to long prison terms or even execution.

Since the rise of the Islamic Republic, human rights violations in Ahwaz have become routine over the past four decades. Extrajudicial executions, physical and psychological torture, arbitrary detentions, and military threats have all been used to suppress the Ahwazi people. Severe restrictions on freedom of expression and media have prevented the community from voicing their demands. Social media users and human rights activists advocating for the rights of oppressed nations have faced intense pressure, long-term imprisonment, and even execution.

Due to the ongoing, relentless repression by Iran’s current authoritarian regime, the future of occupied Ahwaz remains uncertain. The Ahwazi people continue to grapple with economic, social, and political hardships, with no sign of improvement. Meanwhile, the international community has remained largely silent in the face of these human rights violations. Iran has used this silence to further intensify its crackdown on the Ahwazi Arab nation.

—Faisal Khalil Ahwazi