Tehran Food and Water Supply
Posted by Archer on June 24, 2009
Photo from Payvand Iran News
So far, I can find no information – or even opinion – on when or if food and water supplies will become a major issue for the protesters Heroes of Democracy in Iran, especially in Tehran or other urban areas.
Is the besieged Iranian government trying to control access in and out of Tehran as Iraqui and American troops tried in Baghdad? Is it even possible to do?
Surely such vital and vulnerable choke-points as food, water, electricity, transport and road or rail access would be a high priority for a repressive authoritarian government and presumably strategies for control would have been worked out long ago.
Considering much of the region is apparently in the grip of drought and the resulting poor crop yields and grain shortages, I have to wonder.
Messing with basic and essential life requirements is a long and storied tactic from historical sieges of towns and cities from the outside to more recent versions including Lebanon and Gaza.
A government laying siege to it’s own Capital and people from the inside as part of the larger crack-down may still be in the cards.
Included in a statement released in 2005 by Jean Ziegler, Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food under the banner of The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights:
13. International law prohibits the use of food and water as weapons of war or as instruments of political or economic pressure, in order to safeguard the right to food of all people.
I’ll keep digging around and something should turn up on this subject soon.
Update: A Twitter message earlier today from from Iran:
all shops was closed – nowhere to go – they follow ppls with helicopters – smoke and fire is everywhere#Iranelection about 9 hours ago from web
