August 19, 2026; A report received by Kurdpa from an eyewitness over recent days indicates an increase in checkpoints inside the city of Saqqez, strict surveillance of people, especially youth, petrol rationing alongside intense public concern over petrol price hikes, poor internet conditions, and frequent text messages sent to citizens urging them to submit security reports.

According to an eyewitness; although state ceremonies that were held every night in front of the Saqqez Governorate during the 40-day war are no longer taking place, the atmosphere remains securitized and militarized. The number of checkpoints inside the city has increased, with military and security forces—mostly in plainclothes—stationed on both sides of streets, heavily harassing the public and particularly vehicles carrying young passengers to project a frightening, military-security atmosphere.

This eyewitness states; it is difficult for me to take photos of the checkpoints because they are positioned on both sides of the street and closely monitor individuals inside vehicles. The forces inspect inside cars carefully, and if they notice anyone holding a mobile phone, they stop the vehicle and conduct a search of both the car and the individuals' phones.

According to this eyewitness, petrol is currently supplied in Saqqez under three different rates and rationing tiers. Single-fuel vehicles receive a monthly quota of 60 liters and dual-fuel vehicles receive 30 liters at the rate of 1,500 Tomans. Following that, 50 liters are supplied at the rate of 3,000 Tomans, and then 18 liters at the rate of 5,000 Tomans per month. Thus, each vehicle receives a total monthly petrol quota between 90 to 120 liters. Furthermore, in some cases, individuals who have a portion of their monthly quota remaining on their fuel cards sell it at prices ranging from 15,000 to 30,000 Tomans per liter.

This eyewitness states that this form of rationing effectively marks the government's initiation of petrol price increases, causing widespread public concern regarding further price hikes. According to them, given this trend, a sharp increase in petrol prices could occur at any moment. Additionally, for several days, the internet condition has been very poor, likely connected to news regarding petrol price increases, although up to this moment, the government has not implemented a drastic price hike and is treating the issue with high sensitivity.

Simultaneously with public concerns, a clear contradiction between "official denials" and "practical restrictions" is observed in state media regarding petrol prices; on one hand, the CEO of the National Iranian Oil Refining and Distribution Company called any price hikes on 1,500 and 3,000 Toman petrol a rumor, but on the other hand, the Ministry of Petroleum announced a reduction in open-market quotas from 70 to 50 liters, the Energy Efficiency Organization introduced restrictions on gas station cards to 15-20 liters, and the Parliament's Energy Commission reported the review of free/super petrol and new rates—an approach demonstrating that instead of directly announcing price hikes, the government is executing them step-by-step in practice.

On the other hand, repeated messages are being sent to citizens by the Information Protection News Headquarters of the Ministry of Defense, asking citizens to report any information, reports, or protective and security matters related to personnel, forces, or facilities and premises subordinate to the Ministry of Defense through the system or telephone hotline 1636.

repeated messages are being sent to citizens by the Information Protection News Headquarters of the Ministry of Defense