Iran is currently facing a severe economic crunch, which has been brought on by rampant corruption and mismanagement. Inflation has skyrocketed to unprecedented levels, and the country’s currency has suffered a significant blow, losing much of its value. Despite officials’ attempts to downplay the gravity of the situation, state media has reluctantly acknowledged the undeniable financial catastrophe that has befallen the nation.
This economic debacle marks the worst crisis that Iran has faced in a century. It is evident that the highest echelons of the regime, including Ali Khamenei and the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), are culpable. Their meddling and nefarious influence have only worsened an already precarious situation.
Below are some recent acknowledgments and warnings by the state-run media.
“In response to a reporter’s question about whether workers can live with a minim salary, the Minister of Labor, Solat Mortazavi, said they are satisfied with what they have! But we should tell the Minister that it has been a while since workers did have anything! How on earth can they make a living with the meager salary of 84 million rials?” the state-run Ebtekar Daily wrote on May 4.
“The Minister didn’t say how workers can pay their rents. A single worker who doesn’t have a home has to struggle to afford food, let alone a married worker. According to experts, if workers want to purchase a house in the most rural area of the capital, they shouldn’t touch their salary for at least 12 months, but no one says how they would cope with the ever-rising living costs and soaring inflation,” the paper adds.
“Apart from their financial calamity, many people cannot have any hope for the future, especially those whose salary is not in accordance with inflation. Giving food baskets might help them very little, but the skyrocketing living costs and inflation doesn’t leave any hope for people. Lacking hope for the future is very dangerous. Authorities should immediately address the economic crises or wait for its devastating consequences,” Ebtekar wrote in another piece on May 14.
Watch and judge if #Iran is pacing towards #economic collapse pic.twitter.com/cfzvyb4i1C
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) March 23, 2023
“Society suffers from inefficiency, but it is not the society that is inefficient. It is the ruling system that is encompassed with mismanagement. Our society suffers from the accumulation of problems. Almost ten years ago, we said that Iranian society is a society of unresolved issues,” Sharq newspaper wrote on May 4.
“Society feels that no one resolves problems such as air pollution, water shortage, high traffic, unemployment, inflation, urban underdevelopment, and massive brain drain. People see the accumulation of the issues and the government’s ineffectiveness. At the same time, the society feels that it is facing increasing international tension. Now you are facing a righteously dissatisfied society. It means that you can no longer ask people to tolerate it,” the paper adds.
“Sadly, the gap between people and the ruling system increases daily. Those like me, who have the tribune and power, increase this rift instead of decreasing it. They have really damaged this country which pretended to be people’s servants. Having bread and a prayer mark on the forehead doesn’t make you a saint. People held corrupt officials, and they hate my kin who refuse to call out corruption,” the state-run Sharq wrote a piece on May 6, quoting an imaginary Friday Prayer leader speaking about people’s problems.
“When the government refuses to see the reality or twist it, people lose their confidence. When mistrust reigns in society, everything goes wrong. How could authorities implement their economic plans, if they have one, in a society where people don’t believe in anything? The worrying trend of growing public mistrust is due to the government’s ineptitude and mismanagement,” the state-run Setar-e Sobh newspaper wrote on May 8.
“The absolute rule of clergy, particularly Mr. Khamenei, has created a tyranny in Iran. A popular rebellion is on the horizon. Khamenei has ruled for 34 years, leading the Islamic Republic to its worst popular base. What government kills hundreds of people in three years during peaceful demonstrations? Authorities have blinded hundreds and slaughtered many more,” Mehdi Nasiri, former editor-in-chief of Keyhan Daily, an outlet known as Khamenei’s mouthpiece, warned on May 5.
“The rampant inflation and the increasing poverty and misery rapidly worsen the situation for people. The systematic and institutionalized corruption in the system is another worrying sign of the new situation. In terms of its popular base, the Islamic Republic is in its most dangerous periods, and a rebellion could happen any moment,” he added.
