Ebrahim Raisi, the president of the Iranian regime, held a press conference on Tuesday, August 30, boasting about his administration’s blatantly non-existent “achievements” one year into office. His long list of lies includes absurd claims like lowering the rate of inflation, raising the employment rate, covering the budget deficit without printing money, and environmental improvements. The harsh reality in Iran is in sharp contrast to Raisi’s assertions.
The nation is currently experiencing its worst economic crisis in a century. In July, Iran’s official media acknowledged that many Iranians no longer had the means to eat a simple meal of cheese and bread.
Millions of Iranians are unemployed, hundreds of thousands of people scavenge for food in trash cans, suicide and brain drain rates are on the rise, and there is a severe water shortage in the nation. Iran’s inflation rate is hovering around 40%.
“Food inflation in Iran has reached alarming levels, with the statistics center reporting a rate of over 90% in July. According to food market activists, this has resulted in a significant decrease in per capita consumption of Iran’s staple foods and a rise in bread consumption, as reported in the state-run Sharq daily on July 27.
Raisi asserted that his government had eliminated the printing of banknotes, which ultimately increased inflation by creating an enormous amount of liquidity that is incompatible with Iran’s low production rate.
The official Iranian media previously shunned this assertion. “The number of circulating banknotes has increased by 18% in the nine months since Raisi’s government took office,” according to a July 16 report on the state-run Khabar-online website.
The regime was very upset by Raisi’s claims because he was unable to convince anyone of the veracity of them, not even the tightly regulated state-run media.
“It seems that Mr. Raisi lives in another country and the people in a different one. Raisi’s country enjoys perfect conditions and is well managed. But the situation in Iran doesn’t need any explanation!” the state-run Sharq daily wrote on August 30.
“All commodity prices have risen by 200% annually, making it impossible for people to meet their bare necessities. There is no justification for why people’s tables are getting smaller. The situation is worse than it has ever been, despite Raisi’s promises, the government-run Arman-e Meli daily acknowledged on August 30.
The regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was the only one to praise Raisi and the accomplishments of his administration.
Khamenei defended his protégé and his government’s “rigorous endeavors” during a meeting with Raisi and his cabinet on Tuesday. Khamenei is not deaf or blind. Every day, he witnesses Raisi’s failure and hears people chanting against his illiterate president. Above all, he is fully aware of Iran’s volatile situation. Khamenei’s defense of Raisi confirms that he is to blame for all problems in the country as the regime’s supreme leader.
But Khamenei backs Raisi because it was the only option he could think of to save his insecure government—appointing this ruthless mass murderer as president. Khamenei’s acceptance of Raisi’s failure entails his acceptance of the genocidal regime’s failure. But how long can he maintain this course?
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