On August 12, the Deputy Minister of Interior and the Head of the Iranian regime’s Social Affairs Organization announced the prohibition of “reporting on damages” by government entities and departments, stating that these statistics will be announced by this organization.
In an interview with the regime’s ILNA news agency, Mohammad Abbasi stated that the “Atlas of Social Damages” is prepared and ready every year, mentioning, “Contradictory statistics of social damages are mentioned by some officials and deputies.”
The Deputy Minister of Interior of the Iranian regime described the publication of statistics on social damages by various institutions and entities as causing “concern in society” adding, “From now on, none of the entities are allowed to report such statistics, and the Social Organization of the country will be the sole authority for this matter.”
This announcement came at a time when the online newspaper Faraz Daily reported on August 1, citing official statistics, that 30 percent of Iran’s population live below the poverty line, and another 27 percent have conditions very close to poverty, so nearly 60 percent of the country’s population either live in absolute poverty or have basic living conditions.
The regime’s Research Center of the Majlis (Parliament) also announced that over the course of a decade, the poverty rate in Iran has increased from 19 percent to over 30 percent, which, considering the country’s population of 88 million, means that more than 30 million Iranians live below the poverty line.
Hadi Mousavi, the Director-General of Social Welfare Studies at the Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare, said on July 11 that 57 percent of Iran’s population suffers from malnutrition.
Furthermore, according to a report by Etemad newspaper posted in June, “The inflationary conditions of the society and the high growth of inflation have resulted in the short, transient, sorrowful, and challenging, rapid and difficult adulthood for individuals born in the 1990s and even 2000s.
According to this report, the damages and abnormalities existing in daily relationships, family, friendship, and employment are among the issues that have increased due to “increased inflation.”
“Inflation has not only weakened, loosened, and faded support and assistance between families, but also led to artificial relationships,” according to Etemad.
These statistics were announced at a time when the minimum monthly wage for covered workers under the labor law, with a spouse and child, is about 80 million rials per month (approximately $160 while the poverty line in Iran is more than $600). However, some reports in the regime’s media indicate that workers who are not covered by labor laws receive much lower wages.
In another part of his interview with ILNA, the Head of the regime’s Social Affairs Organization, also mentioned the “intensification of social damages” in 2015 and 2016 and said that at that time, Ali Khamenei, the regime’s Supreme Leader, had a meeting with the “then President and officials” in this regard; a meeting whose details were not announced, but after that, the trend of publishing some public information in this field decreased significantly.
According to the Jamaran website, Hossein Raghefar, an economist, said on August 2, “The class gap that has emerged in Iran is the most dangerous capacity for psychological, mental, and social damages, and there is no necessary political determination to overcome it.”
Fereydoun Abbasi, a member of the Iranian regime’s parliament, supported the non-disclosure of statistics and economic indicators, stating that the publication “any data” including wheat, essential commodities, river water levels, and dams, can pose “security threats.”
Abbasi, the former head of the Atomic Energy Organization and a member of the regime’s parliament’s Energy Commission, stated on August 21, “Security and commercial data should not be transparent because the enemy can use them and harm the country.”
Abbasi further stated that during times of economic warfare, it is crucial not to disclose the country’s economic information. He emphasized that certain economic data can be even more significant than security data, and if such data were to be revealed, it could pose a threat to food security.
Abbasi emphasized that even statistics related to “wheat as a strategic commodity” should not be published, stating that “if enemies find information, they can hinder wheat imports,” and presenting statistics and “transparency” in the discussion of oil sales is also a mistake.
Fereydoun Abbasi further emphasized that the publication of any statistics and data, including “geographical issues of the country, river water levels, dams, and electricity consumption,” is “detrimental to the country.”
In recent days, Peyman Qorbani, the economic deputy of the Central Bank, accused Abdolnaser Hemmati, the former governor of the Central Bank, of providing “confidential information of the country, including the exchange rate and inflation rate,” to the International Monetary Fund in order to receive a $5 billion loan during the coronavirus period.
At least two indicators, “inflation rate” and “foreign exchange reserves,” are not considered “confidential statistics and data” in many countries around the world. However, the Iranian regime, by not disclosing economic and social statistics, is attempting to prevent public protests similar to those that occurred last year.
The statistics announced by various officials of the regime and media outlets linked to the government do not reflect the reality and can only provide a general indicator of the severe social and economic situation in Iran.
