A well-known Iranian singer was due to play a massive concert at Tehran’s iconic Azadi Tower as part of a state-organized demonstration of national unity following the 12-day conflict with Israel by now.
However, the authorities canceled Homayoun Shajarian, a traditional singer and the son of Mohammad Reza Shajarian, who had been receiving much publicity at the late Friday concert.
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Shajarian announced online that the 30-member orchestra’s instruments and equipment were not permitted on the site two days prior to the event. He added that there was no way to organize the crowd, which could have a million people in it.
Videos that were widely circulated online claimed that Tehran Municipality employees welded shut-off gates to the tower’s square, preventing the installation of audio equipment. The square, which was extensively decorated a month earlier for the first month of the Islamic calendar’s first month, is frequently used for state-organized events.
The hardline former lawmaker Alireza Zakani, who has served as Tehran’s mayor since 2021, suggested there was a lack of coordination between government officials, and that the event should have been held in a stadium instead.
The incident sparked a furore online, with many interpretations pointing to political and social divides at a time when the West may soon be lifting sanctions against Iran and there are worries that Israel and the United States will launch an Iranian missile attack.
The free concert in Tehran’s heart was a welcome idea for some people because it could provide a rare opportunity for those experiencing hardship while also surviving in an ailing economy plagued by persistent, ongoing inflation.
The concert was seen as an attempt by the state to stifle popular support while leaders in Israel and the West openly discuss regime change in Iran, according to some Iranians who are opposed to the theocratic establishment abroad.
Some of Shajarian’s foreign-based critics of Iran’s establishment were critical of the singer’s alleged support for the state at the concert, especially given that his late father was known as the “voice of the people.” Other critics had anticipated that a sizable crowd of people would organize anti-government demonstrations.
Hamid Resaee, a hardline member of parliament, suggested the government planned the rushed concert to “distract the people” from the country’s severe power blackouts, water crisis, and devaluing currency.
The culture ministry expressed regret for the cancelled event, saying that “we all lost” a missed chance for cohesion.
Local media largely supported the concert, with exceptions from hardline and conservative outlets, who generally oppose significant public events that are not entirely under the control of the state.
Even the pro-reforms Shargh newspaper criticised the anti-establishment diaspora for its criticism of the concert, calling them too extreme and “having taken the people hostage.”
Without any formal explanation as to why the concert had been blocked numerous times before and why it was approved this week, Shajarian claimed that he had originally requested permission to take the performance to the stage seven years ago and only recently received government approval.
The singer addressed the criticism in a lengthy post online after the event was called off. He argued that the effort was meant to avoid being “covering up problems, but to provide a moment of good feelings to people who deserve joy,” and that it should not be “entangled with politics.”
Outside pressure rises.
The Iranian state insists on unity despite the concert attempt’s failure and increasingly uses centuries-old Iranian history to spout nationalist ideas, something it lacked before the most recent conflict with Israel.
Authorities have spoken extensively about territorial integrity and cohesion among Iran’s various ethnic groups in recent months in Tehran and across the nation. They have also displayed banners depicting Persian kings defeating invading foes.
Iran has only recently been under increased pressure from the US, Israel, and their allies in Europe, with the intention of ending its nuclear program.
The remaining European signatories to Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement, which US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew from in 2018, are urging France, Germany, and the UK to reinstate all UN sanctions lifted as a result of the landmark agreement.
The nation’s markets are also tense because Western powers are attempting to blacklist Iran until a deal is reached regarding its nuclear program.
On Saturday, the US dollar changed hands in Tehran for about 1.02 million rials, which is a little better than the previous all-time low of 1.06 million rials, which was set earlier in the week.
Source: Aljazeera
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