Nearly two years into Raisi’s presidency, his disastrous policies and mismanagement have worsened Iran’s financial crisis. According to official accounts, which are known for being anything but transparent, inflation remains above 50%, while consumer goods prices continue to skyrocket.
In an article on May 15, the state-run Tejarat News acknowledged, “A sharp decline in economic growth is highly probable for 2023.”
“Since June 2021, various factors, including the elimination of preferential currency, pessimism surrounding negotiations with global powers, increased capital outflows, and the repercussions of events in the latter half of the year, have triggered substantial price surges. The annual inflation rate has surged back up to a staggering 50% threshold,” the state-run outlet added.
Tejarat News acknowledged that “This year, the persistence and escalation of longstanding conflicts, capital outflows impacting the currency market, and the potential revision in energy prices have generated anticipations of soaring inflation rates.”
In the midst of internal power struggles within the regime, the state media has now openly admitted that Ebrahim Raisi’s government manipulated the figures of the regime’s Statistics Centre to conceal the unprecedented inflation. In an article titled “The government announced the inflation rate after two months, but with manipulation,” the state-run Taadol newspaper exposed the government’s deliberate attempt to downplay the alarming inflation by understating the actual figures in the report.
The state-run Donyay-e Eghtesad website highlighted the government’s “collective censorship of data,” pointing out that unlike in previous years, Iran’s Statistic Center has refrained from publishing the inflation rate for the past two months. This omission further underscores the government’s deliberate attempt to suppress and withhold crucial information from the public.
“The deliberate ambiguity surrounding the release of statistics, or perhaps even a profound apprehension towards their disclosure, is evident. If we were to entertain the notion that the hiatus in publishing the inflation rate is justified by the change in the base year, it becomes utterly perplexing as to how one can rationalize the interruption in divulging housing prices. This inconsistency raises grave concerns about the motives behind concealing vital information, casting doubt on the transparency and integrity of the government’s actions,” the state-run Khorasan daily wrote on May 8.
The regime’s own statistics reveal shockingly high average point-to-point inflation rates of food items, ranging from 70 to 100 percent. The relentless surge in housing and public service costs inflicts severe devastation upon the people. Consequently, state media and regime officials openly ridicule Raisi’s baseless assertions of reining in inflation. In a scathing article titled “Raisi’s government and the myth of controlling inflation,” the state-run Tejarat News dismantles the notion of effective inflation control, exposing it as a hollow claim.
The government’s complete economic bankruptcy proved detrimental to the regime’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, who sought to “consolidate power” by appointing Raisi as president and handpicking his loyalists to serve as MPs. However, this consolidation was merely a strategy to suppress future uprisings rather than address economic woes. Raisi’s incompetence in handling even the most fundamental crises has fueled widespread protests and deepened public animosity toward the regime. This, combined with the ongoing nationwide uprising, further heightens the likelihood of the system’s imminent collapse.
“The unchecked inflation, escalating poverty, and deepening misery intensify the dire plight of the people. The pervasive and institutionalized corruption within the system adds another distressing dimension to the unfolding crisis. In terms of its popular support, the Islamic Republic teeters on the precipice of its most perilous era, where a rebellion looms imminent,” said Mehdi Nasiri, former editor-in-chief of Keyhan Daily, a publication known as Khamenei’s mouthpiece, sounding the alarm on May 5.