The Iranian regime’s incompetence, mismanagement and corruption have led to a multitude of shortages and crises. The shortages include water, electricity, gas, petrol and a whole range of basic food and other necessities. And, as well as the usual excuses, the oligarchic regime now tries to cover its ineptitude and profiteering by frequent mentions of the 12-day war against US imperialism and Israel.
The water shortage has caused record low levels at most of the country’s dams and reservoirs. On November 9th, Payam-e Sepidar, a local newspaper in Alborz Province, dedicated its front page to the news that 74 unidentified bodies had been discovered at Karaj Dam. Most had their hands and feet tied and were covered with plastic, carpets or rugs. This shocking news was also published by Eghtesad24, an economic news website.
These two sources wrote that the water level of Amir Kabir (Karaj) Dam’s reservoir has had a severe drop since the summer of 2025, with a further significant drop in November 2025. Critically, the water has now even reached below the power generation turbines, and the reservoir has effectively dried up. In a feature article, Payam-e Sepidar reported that this is the first time that the Karaj reservoir has dried up since it was built in 1958.
One section of the report, which has now been removed from the newspaper’s website, said: “From the beginning of the dam’s drying process until August 2025, 74 unidentified bodies were discovered at the bottom of this dam. The bodies mostly had their hands and feet bound and were left in this dam covered with plastic, carpets or rugs. So far, the judicial and security authorities have not released information about their identities and causes of death.”
Given the high level of surveillance, control and violence meted out by this blood-soaked regime against workers, women, national minorities, the youth and most other layers of society, it is inconceivable that the capitalist state did not carry out these murders or facilitate ‘freelancers’ or ‘contractors’ to commit these murders. This regime was born out of crimes against Iran’s workers and all exploited and oppressed sections of society, and has every day survived by committing further crimes against the masses for merely disagreeing with its reactionary policies of defending one of the most exploitative forms of capitalism in the world.
The Iranian regime’s hubris, venality and criminal core have been exposed by nature’s reaction to the environmental damage of the past 46 years. It is time for workers’ independent organisations to join forces and bring to justice all the criminals who have committed these murders against the Iranian masses.
