The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran), reported the absolute poverty category in Iran is expanding rapidly. More and more people are struggling to put food on their table and many can no longer make ends meet. State-run media outlets are reporting on the situation, warning regime officials that the consequences of its economic mismanagement and corruption are going to be explosive.
Regime officials used to deny that the government was behind any of the economic problems the country has faced, but now the situation has got so dire that many are admitting to major failures.
The Speaker of Parliament Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf spoke recently about the “price instability” that the people face, with the Minister of Interior Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli saying that “expensiveness” is something that is a major obstacle to the people.
Regime apologists and President Hassan Rouhani, on the other hand, maintain that the economic problems are because of international sanctions and “economic warfare” by the country’s enemies.
The people of Iran are not fooled by these claims and they recognize that the economic difficulties they face are because of the regime’s plundering of the nation’s wealth and its institutionalized corruption.
Even those close to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei have expressed concern about the economic situation. His representative Ahmad Alam-ol-Hoda said last week that the problems have got so bad that the Supreme Leader is expressing concern about them.
He said that sanctions by the United States are not the reason for the economic issues, rather they are because of “the lack of revolutionary officials”. He was unable to offer up a solution but made it clear that the problem is from within the regime itself.
On top of the existing economic troubles, the Coronavirus pandemic has resulted in further chaos. It has severely affected the livelihoods of many people across the country, causing further unemployment and uncertainty. The coronavirus has taken the lives of over 231,800 people throughout Iran, according to the Iranian opposition The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), and the People’s Mujahedin of Iran (PMOI / MEK Iran).
An Iranian MP said earlier this year: “In addition to the coronavirus, we are witnessing far worse viruses such as high prices, discrimination, rampant inflation, and the devaluation of the national currency, which have disrupted people’s livelihoods and targeted their souls.”
This has caused great anger in society and the people have risen up on numerous occasions in the past few years.
The major uprisings of 2018 and 2019 were indicative of the people’s anger towards the leadership and their desire for great change. The people were heard chanting that the enemy is “right here” – not in America.
While so many people across the country live in absolute poverty, regime officials bask in great wealth and luxury. The disparity between the rich and the poor creates such tension and this tension is a major threat to the regime’s survival.
State-run media outlets have been comparing society in Iran to a powder keg, warning the regime that the explosion could happen at any time and that the consequences will be far-reaching. In any case, the people have very little to lose so they are not going to be intimidated into silence. The regime is fighting a battle it cannot win.
MEK Iran (follow them on Twitter and Facebook)
and People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran – MEK IRAN – YouTube
