Iran: 150 Emergency Patients Escape Tabriz Hospital Monthly Due to Poverty
Poverty in Iran is causing increasingly widespread repercussions. In the latest case, Sajjad Ahmadi, the Deputy of Development, Management, and Resources at the Imam Reza Educational and Medical Center in the city of Tabriz (northwest Iran), stated that an average of 150 cases of emergency escapes are registered and documented in this hospital on a monthly basis.
Low-income individuals who seek medical care at the hospital flee because they are unable to afford the treatment costs.
According to a report by the regime’s Statistical Center in October 2023 on the expenditure and income status of Iranian households, healthcare expenses accounted for approximately 9.1% of the urban household expenditure basket in the previous year, ranking third after housing and fuel, as well as food and tobacco.
In a report on the government-published statistics, the news website Khabar Online also emphasized that visiting hospitals and treatment centers can result in “high costs for recovery and treatment.”
The news website stated that in recent years, with the increase in inflation rates in Iran, healthcare expenses have also risen to the extent that many families cannot afford to pay for them.
The published statistics indicate that the economic class divide has reached its highest level in healthcare.
Some analysts believe that higher-income individuals spend more money on healthcare while lower-income individuals spend less due to inflation, recession, reduced production, and ongoing sanctions.
Officials from the Ministry of Health of the Iranian regime repeatedly promised in the summer of 2022 that with the implementation of a plan known as “Darouyar” (Medicine Provider), the drug shortage would be reduced to a “minimum” after two to three months, and drug prices would become “realistic.” However, these promises were not fulfilled, and in addition to the significant increase in drug prices, some items became scarce or even unavailable.
However, the main cause behind the rising price of medicine is the endemic corruption that the regime has inflicted in Iran’s healthcare and medicine industries.
One of the problems that is causing the surge and fluctuation of the prices of medicine and medical equipment is the mafia-style management of the healthcare and medicine industry.
The import, production, and distribution of medicine is controlled by bands that have very close ties to regime officials and agencies. Regime-run organizations, including the Setad (controlled by regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei), the Social Security Investment Company, and Shafa Daru, control 70 percent of the medicine market.
These organizations control supplies and prices, and their only loyalty is their bottom line, not the people’s welfare.
Local reports indicate that there’s no shortage of medicine in Iran’s black market. But the prices are so high that most people can’t afford them.
While regime officials acknowledge the existence of the medicine mafia, they have so far done nothing to stop it, simply because their own organizations are deeply enmeshed in this corrupt network.
Iranian Regime Spy Ship Assisting Houthi Attacks in the Red Sea
Western and regional security officials say that Iranian regime’s proxy forces are providing information to the Houthis, which the Yemeni rebels use for their missile and drone attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
According to The Wall Street Journal, these officials state that the information collected by a surveillance vessel under the control of Iranian regime’s proxy forces in the Red Sea is being transferred to the Houthis, who have recently used this data to attack commercial ships passing through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait.
According to these officials, many ships moving through this strait turn off their tracking systems to avoid detection, but an Iranian ship stationed in the Red Sea enables precise missile and drone attacks by the Houthis.
The Iranian regime’s mission to the United Nations has not responded to The Wall Street Journal’s request for comment.
According to a Houthi spokesperson, the group does not rely on Iran for assistance in their attacks. However, a Western security official says that the Houthis do not have radar technology to target ships, and without assistance from the Iranian regime, their missiles cannot reach their targets.
The White House National Security Council has also not responded to The Wall Street Journal’s request for comment. Washington had previously stated that the Iranian regime enables the Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea but did not elaborate on Tehran’s involvement.
The Houthis claim that they carry out these attacks in retaliation for Israel’s attacks on Gaza, but the targeted ships have little or no connection to Israel.
The Pentagon recently unveiled a plan called “Operation Prosperity Guardian” to establish a multinational naval force to protect commercial ships in the Red Sea in response to the growing hostile activities by the Houthis.
Meanwhile, due to the current conditions, some of the world’s largest shipping companies, oil producers, and cargo owners are using alternative routes for cargo transportation, leading to an increase in oil prices and insurance rates.
State Broadcaster IRIB Is Iran’s Most Money-Losing Government Entity
The Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Organization (IRIB) is the most financially detrimental government entity in the country, with a substantial budget but a limited audience. The Iranian regime’s Majlis (parliament) has mandated the Organization of Planning and Budget to increase the government’s share in providing funding for IRIB by 43% compared to 2023, and this increase should be considered as the baseline for subsequent annual increases starting from 2024.
In a report, the state-run Eghtesaad24 website criticized the performance of the largest state media in Iran, stating, “The declining public interest in IRIB programs, allocating more time to commercial advertisements, and misuse of national resources for producing low-quality entertainment shows and mixed programs, inefficient management, and partisan management are among the weaknesses of this media outlet, which tarnishes its national reputation.”
According to the aforementioned report, Iran’s state television, with a financial turnover of 140 trillion rials (approximately $279.441 million), has emerged as one of the most detrimental entities among 17 companies and institutions in the 2023 budget, with its losses being covered from the general budget.
Based on this report, IRIB is one of the “budget-consuming” institutions in the country. Sometimes, it faces budget shortages for the quantitative and qualitative development of its production programs, animations, documentaries, films, and TV series. However, the Development Fund’s coffers continue to be generously opened for IRIB.
According to the Eghtesaad24 report, in the 2024 budget bill, the total expenses of IRIB were estimated at 140 trillion rials. Of this amount, less than half, namely 64,000 billion rials (approximately $127.744 million), should come from IRIB’s dedicated resources, including advertising and other economic activities, while the remaining 56%, should be covered from the general budget, such as oil sales revenue and taxes.
While IRIB has been a “budget-consuming” organization in recent years with repeated and incremental budget increases, it seems that the people should expect another substantial increase in its budget in 2024. This time, with the budget becoming taxable in the coming year, the increase is expected to be directly transferred from the citizens’ pockets to IRIB’s accounts.
It is well known that the IRIB is one of the most heavily budgeted and highly sensitive organizations for the clerical regime, and the regime utilizes this organization alongside the IRGC, the intelligence services, and the State Security Force for suppression and censorship. The organization also serves to export fundamentalism and spread terrorism abroad alongside the Quds Force.
Foreign Currency Reserves of Iran’s Central Bank Decreasing
According to the regime’s Eco Iran website, which cited official statistics released by state institutions, foreign currency reserves of Iran’s Central Bank have decreased.
The report stated that the Central Bank‘s foreign assets, including currency and gold, have reached their lowest level in the past few months, with a decrease of 1,900 trillion rials(approximately $3.796 trillion).
Another development mentioned in the report is the increase in the share of “banks’ debt to the Central Bank,” which has surpassed 50% of the total money supply in September.
The decrease in the Central Bank’s reserves is attributed to the bank’s policies as well as international sanctions against the Iranian regime. Analysts consider the currency problems faced by Iran for importing essential goods and raw materials as only a part of the consequences resulting from Iran’s reduced access to the dollar.
This decline occurred while the newspaper Javan, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), had previously reported in November as a supporter of the government that the sale of oil, the return of oil revenues to the country, and non-oil export growth had improved the country’s trade balance. This overall trend could serve as a support for meeting currency needs and managing the foreign exchange market.
The release of some of the regime’s blocked money in other countries was one of the factors that the Central Bank had previously claimed as the reason for the increase in the country’s foreign reserves.
However, it seems that Iran’s economic conditions are much more complex than the statements of official authorities, and the release of $6 billion in South Korea, $7.1 billion in Luxembourg, £390 million in the UK, and access to over $10 billion in Iraq have not prevented the decline in the country’s foreign reserves.
Germany Accuses Iran of Involvement in Conspiracy to Attack Synagogue
On December 19, the German Foreign Ministry summoned an official from the Iranian regime’s embassy in Berlin for the alleged involvement of “regime institutions” in a plot to set fire to a synagogue in the city of Bochum.
The High Court in Dusseldorf confirmed on Tuesday that a conspiracy to set fire to a synagogue in Bochum last year had taken place with the cooperation of Iranian regime institutions.
According to the court’s announcement, “Babak J.,” who was identified as the perpetrator of a November 2022 school fire in Bochum, and a 36-year-old German-Iranian citizen, received orders from an individual inside Iran. The primary target of the arson attack was a synagogue located next to the school, not the school itself.
The High Court in Dusseldorf stated that “Babak J.” attempted to involve one of his acquaintances in the attack on the synagogue, but that acquaintance informed the police after refusing to cooperate with him. The suspect, unable to set the synagogue on fire, threw an incendiary device into the adjacent school instead.
According to the German magazine Der Spiegel, the suspect has been sentenced to 33 months in prison by the High Court in Dusseldorf.
Following the summoning of the Iranian regime official in Berlin, the German Foreign Ministry emphasized that there will be no tolerance for any violence carried out by foreigners in Germany, and the government will not allow the lives of Jews in thecountry to be attacked or endangered.
On March 5, 2023, The Washington Post reported, citing intelligence and security officials, that the mastermind behind a series of recent attacks on Jews and synagogues in Germany is an Iranian-German citizen named Ramin Yektaparast, who fled from Germany to Iran. According to the report, Yektaparast had been in contact with “Babak J.”
According to the report, Mr. Yektaparast had been running a brothel in the city of Leverkusen for a while and, due to his familiarity with criminal gangs in Germany, effectively acted as a remote contractor for the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in achieving their objectives in Germany.
US-led Coalition To Secure Gulf of Aden Against Iran-Backed Houthis
Ten countries, led by the United States, have agreed to jointly patrol the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden to protect commercial ships from Houthi insurgent attacks.
Since the start of the conflict between Hamas and Israel, the Houthis, supported by the Iranian regime, have targeted Israeli ships and even those heading towards Israel under the pretext of supporting the people of Gaza against Israeli attacks.
Lloyd Austin, the United States Secretary of Defense, announced during his visit to Bahrain that several countries would participate in this initiative as part of an international force. It is unclear whether these countries will engage in the same activities as the US warships have done in recent days, which involve intercepting Houthi missiles and drones and providing assistance to attacked commercial vessels, or if their involvement will be symbolic.
The seriousness of the Houthi attacks, some of which have caused damage to ships, has prompted several shipping companies to instruct their vessels to remain in place and avoid entering the Bab el-Mandeb Strait until the security situation is resolved.
“This is an international challenge that demands collective action,” Austin said in a statement. “Therefore today I am announcing the establishment of Operation Prosperity Guardian, an important new multinational security initiative.”
In addition to the United States, other countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, France, Italy, Norway, Spain, Seychelles, and Bahrain are expected to be part of this coalition led by the United States.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) stated in a statement that on Monday, December 18, the Houthis once again attacked two commercial ships in the southern Red Sea. The oil tanker Swan Atlantic was targeted by a drone and an anti-ship ballistic missile. CENTCOM also reported a separate incident around the same time where the cargo ship MSC Clara experienced an explosion near its location. However, no damage to either of the vessels has been reported.
Yahya Saree, the spokesperson for the Houthis, claimed responsibility for the attacks on the two ships on December 18 and emphasized that these actions were taken because the crews of these two tankers did not respond to Houthi contacts. The Houthis have threatened to target all ships heading to Israel regardless of their nationality and have warned international shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports.
Mohammed al-Bukhaiti, a member of the Houthi political office, stated on Monday that his group could confront any coalition led by the United States that could be stationed in the Red Sea.
Mohammed Abdul-Salam, the chief negotiator for the Houthi rebels in Yemen, also told Reuters on Tuesday, December 19, that the group would not change its stance on the Gaza conflict due to the formation of a multinational naval coalition to protect shipping in the Red Sea.
AbdulSalam, describing the multinational naval coalition led by the United States as “essentially unnecessary,” pointed out that all waters adjacent to Yemen are safe, and only Israeli ships or ships heading towards Israel should be cautious. He attributed this insecurity to what he called an “unjust aggression against Palestine.”
On December 18, the US State Department announced that, Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, condemned the Houthi attacks on commercial ships in a call with Prince Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Arabian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
According to a senior US military official present in Bahrain, as reported by the Associated Press, under the new mission, the military ships that have increased their presence in the area do not necessarily escort a particular vessel but position military ships in a way that creates a security umbrella to protect them when needed.
Mr. Austin, in his statements on Tuesday, December 19, at a ministers meeting regarding the new naval mission, said that in the past four weeks, Houthi militias have attacked or seized 12 commercial ships, and 25 crew members of the Galaxy Leader oil tanker are still held hostage by Yemeni forces. The United States is actively pursuing the participation of member countries in this mission and increasing the number of naval forces present in this international coalition.
Some countries are expected to be involved in the patrols, while others will provide intelligence support in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
An unnamed US defense official stated that several other countries have also agreed to participate in these operations but prefer to remain anonymous while cooperating with the coalition.
Child Bride Samira Sabzian Executed in Iran After 10 Years in Prison
On December 20, Iran’s regime executed Samira Sabzian, a child bride who was convicted of “intentional murder” of her husband and sentenced to “qisas” (retribution in kind), in Karaj’s Qezel Hesar Prison.
For years, Samira Sabzian had been a victim of gender apartheid, child marriage, and domestic violence, and today she became a victim of the execution machinery of a dictatorial and corrupt regime that has only kept itself alive through killing and intimidation. The regime’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei and other officials of the Iranian regime must be held accountable for this crime.
According to reports, the execution of Samira Sabzian was scheduled to take place on December 13, but it was postponed after widespread coverage and the reaction of civil society.
According to human rights sources, Samira Sabzian was forced into marriage at the age of 15. According to her relatives, she had been a victim of domestic violence by her husband.
In December 2014, she was arrested in Malard city, Tehran province, on charges of murdering her husband. She was sentenced to death. Since then, she was held in Gharchak Prison, Varamin. Mrs. Sabzian was only 19 years old at the time of her arrest.
At the time of the murder, Samira Sabzian had two children. She was deprived of seeing them for the past 10 years since her imprisonment.
She met her children for the last time before the execution was carried out, which was the first meeting with her children in these years.
Since the beginning of the current calendar year, at least 20 women prisoners have been executed in Iranian regime prisons. Samira Sabzian is the 21st woman to be executed by the Iranian regime this year. Iran continues to hold the record for the highest number of executions of women worldwide.
Swedish Court of Appeal Confirms Life Imprisonment Sentence for Hamid Nouri
On Wednesday, December 19, the Swedish Court of Appeal upheld the life imprisonment sentence for Hamid Nouri, who was accused of involvement in the mass execution of political prisoners in the 1980s.
Hamid Nouri, also known by the alias Hamid Abbasi, a former deputy in the judicial system of the Iranian regime, was arrested in November 2019 following a court order in Sweden.
After 93 trial sessions at the Stockholm District Court, on July 14, 2022, he was convicted of complicity in the massacre of political prisoners in 1988 and sentenced to life imprisonment. He was also ordered to pay compensation to the families of the victims.
It is possible that Hamid Nouri’s lawyers may attempt to appeal this decision to the Supreme Court of Sweden.
The confirmation of Hamid Nouri’s sentence has been met with support from the opponents of the Iranian regime and the supporters of the People’s Mujahedin of Iran organization (PMOI/MEK). Some of them celebrated in Stockholm. In the summer of 1988, the regime executed more than 30,000 political prisoners, most of whom were supporters and members of the MEK. The event became known as the 1988 massacre.
Iranian authorities have been pressurizing Sweden to release Nouri, threatening them with hostage-taking and blackmailing.
In March 2023, the Iranian regime arrested Johan Floderus, a Swedish employee of the European Union diplomatic apparatus. Masoud Setayeshi, the spokesperson for the Iranian judiciary, announced on November 8 that the case of this Swedish citizen had been sent to court to issue an indictment.
The Swedish prosecutor’s office had accused Hamid Nouri, using the alias Hamid Abbasi, of deliberately causing the death of a large number of prisoners, members or supporters of the MEK and other opposition groups, when he served as an assistant to the deputy prosecutor or a similar position at Gohardasht Prison in the summer of 1988.
The Iranian regime claims that Hamid Nouri was deprived of basic rights, such as the right to contact his family and access to medical care during his detention, and that he was tortured during this period. Sweden has rejected these claims. Ironically, the prisoners who were executed by Nouri and his associates were tortured and deprived of their most basic rights, including a fair trial and access to a lawyer of their choosing.
On the other hand, the Iranian regime continues its policy of hostage-taking and putting pressure on Western countries.
On May 26, the Omani government disclosed its role in facilitating a prisoner exchange between Belgium and Iran’s regime. However, the release of Assadollah Assadi, a convicted terrorist diplomat from Tehran, drew strong condemnation from the Iranian opposition coalition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).
Before this incident, the Belgian Constitutional Court had issued a mandate requiring Brussels to inform the victims before extraditing the convict to Iran, granting them the opportunity to seek legal recourse. Shockingly, Assadi was released without notifying the victims, blatantly disregarding their rights and violating the court order.
Tehran will persist in its nefarious acts of terrorism and hostage diplomacy, utilizing its embassies as hubs for these activities. European countries must confront the clerical regime’s terrorism sooner rather than later.
Food Shortage Risk in Iran as Production, Import of Essential Goods Drop Considerably
Reports indicate that Iran’s imports of essential goods have decreased by an average of 50% in the past eight months. Red meat production has also decreased by 30% in November compared to the previous year, a trend that analysts believe signals a major crisis in food supply and a shortage of food items in the market.
According to a report by the Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), based on customs statistics, the imports of dry tea, rice, raw sugar, poultry, and wheat have decreased by 57.69%, 53.89%, 51.98%, 48.11%, and 46.20%, respectively, in terms of value in the eight-month period of this year compared to the same period last year.
In another report, the Statistical Center announced on December 16 that the performance of the country’s official slaughterhouses in November 2023, compared to the same month in 2022, indicated a 30% decrease in the amount of red meat supply in the official slaughterhouses of the country.
The same center stated in another report that the supply of poultry in the country’s official slaughterhouses in November 2023 had decreased by about 6% compared to the previous month.
The downward trend in the import of essential goods occurs while in May 2023, Kaveh Zargaran, the head of the Iranian Grains Association, declared the reserve status of some essential goods as critical and warned of possible shortages in 2023.
Analysts believe that with the significant reduction in the import of essential goods in the coming months, the market will undergo price and inventory fluctuations. It is predicted that the initial impact of this reduction will be an increase in prices, followed by shortages and rationing in the market.
One of the main reasons for the significant decrease in imports is the lack of necessary foreign currency for essential goods, as well as raw materials and essential items, which has caused complaints and concerns among importers and producers.
In this regard on October 16, Jabraeil Baradari, the head of the Agricultural Jihad Organization of Tehran Province, attributed one of the current problems in poultry production to the excessive delay in the clearance of soybean-carrying ships at the country’s ports, which he also linked to the issue of foreign currency allocation.
The status of supply and storage of essential goods in the country and the over 50% inflation rate of food items have raised alarm bells for the officials of the Iranian regime and the regime’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei.
The regime’s Khabar Online website has stated that in simpler terms, the Supreme Leader is asking Ebrahim Raisi what has happened on the ground, meaning what has actually happened apart from the reports.
Government officials have claimed over the past two years, with the announcement of statistics that many experts consider to be “statistical manipulation,” that the country’s conditions are favorable and improving. However, many reports published by the media and social networks present a different picture of the societal situation and livelihood challenges.
Houses in Istanbul Cheaper than Tehran
According to an analysis of the real estate market in Turkey and Iran by the state-run Tejarat News, house prices in Istanbul, as one of the country’s major cities, were on average lower than Tehran in 2023.
Tejarat News refers to official statistics on housing prices in Tehran and states that the housing sector has experienced unprecedented price growth in recent years, to the point where the average price of an apartment in November 2023 has approached the range of 800 million rials (approximately $1,603) per square meter.
The report states that the economic data related to Turkey indicates that the country has faced numerous problems, including rising inflation, in line with Iran’s economy in recent years.
In comparing the real estate market data of Tehran and Istanbul, it is stated that the average house price in Tehran in January 2022 was around $1,300 per square meter, while during the same period, the price of houses in Istanbul exceeded $1,500 per square meter.
This report emphasizes that the price of houses in Istanbul has been on a downward trend and has reached $1,600 by September, while the price of houses in Tehran has started a new growth period and has reached $1,500.
Abdullah Meshkani, an economist, has attributed the lower cost of land and construction in Istanbul as the reason for the lower property prices compared to Tehran.
Reports indicate that the increase in housing prices in Iran has led to an increase in housing poverty.
In this regard, the media has reported a mandatory change in people’s preferences towards smaller houses of 40 square meters or less.
Based on this, the regime’s Donya-ye-Eghtesad newspaper reported on November 7 that statistics indicate a record number of inhabitants in houses with an area of up to 40 square meters in the capital during the current year.
According to the report, the share of “very small” houses with an area of up to 40 square meters in Tehran’s transactions has increased from 3.3% in 2018 to over 5.2% in 2023.
The report from the Iranian Statistical Center also shows that the average price per square meter of apartments has increased from 62 million rials (approximately $1,088) in spring 2018 to over 808 million rials (approximately $1,603) in September 2023.
The Iranian regime’s president, Ebrahim Raisi, had promised to build one million housing units per year during his election campaign.
On November 29, the state-run Ham-Mihan newspaper reported the remarks of Habibollah Sattarian, a university professor, saying, “For more than two decades, it has been necessary to build one million housing units every year, but ultimately only 300,000 units are produced.”
This housing economist added: The annual construction of “300,000 housing units” has also decreased in the past two years and has reached “200,000 housing units.”
In a situation where, based on the data published on November 20 by Iran Open Data, the price of “one serving of rice and Kebab” is twice the “daily food cost” of a worker, the idea of homeownership has become an unattainable dream for many income levels in Iran.
According to the early November report from the Donya-ye-Eghtesad newspaper, in the two-year project of “building one million housing units per year,” which Ebrahim Raisi repeatedly promised during his presidential election campaign in June 2021, the effective supply volume has reached “600,000 units,” and the effective demand has reached “650,000 individuals.”
On the other hand, in line with the housing crisis, Iranian regime-linked media announced on November 9, citing official statistics published in this sector, that this year’s contracts for tenants saw a “55% increase” compared to the previous year, which is more than twice the “historical average of this rate.”
