State-Backed Mafia Removes Red Meat From Iranians’ Food Basket
Iranian People Feel Sting of High Prices
There is immense pressure on Iranian people nowadays because of the coronavirus pandemic and the dire state of the economy, both of which are down to the authorities’ mismanagement, which means that most people are unable to afford even the most basic food items.
“With the rising price of chicken in the last twenty days, the consumption of chicken legs, gizzard, and liver has increased threefold. Buying chicken is beyond the purchasing power of a high percentage of the population,” said the head of the Poultry and Fish Traders Association Mehdi Youssef Khani.
Indeed, chicken consumption decreased by 70 percent and many are forced to buy the parts of the bird that are usually thrown away, like the three examples noted above. Like all basic goods, the cost of chicken has skyrocketed recently.
Tasnim news agency reported last month that milk, butter, oil, and meat have all increased and that the government is still issuing the permission to raise the cost of goods, while the spokesperson of the Dairy Industry Association, Mohammad Reza Bani Taba, said the cost of milk would increase by 50 percent.
The Truth of $7 Billion of Goods Deposited at Iran’s Customs
After the 2018 sanctions against Iran, the brokers affiliated with the government find out that soon they will have no opportunity to benefit from the oil exports and its dollars.
Given the sanctions’ pressure, drop in the oil price, and extreme budget deficits and government debts, officials had no choice but to make the entry channels of imported goods smaller and narrower to heal the lost currencies’ casualties.
The government’s brokers and smugglers coerced the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) to import millions of tons of goods and supplies needed by the market. They highlighted the market’s shortage of essential goods through affiliated media. They also made millions of dollars to clear these goods.
The CBI, which knew that the remaining amounts of foreign currencies were gradually declining, created obstacles in the distribution of foreign exchange rents in order to overcome the situation.
This fight over the dollars, which was supposed to be a new income source and huge profits for government importers, turned into a mafia and factional war. Each of which on one side of the conflict seeks to make profits of billions of rials.
As the mafia war intensified over importers of goods and currency distributors, public opinion gained more and more information from untold stories.
Why billions of dollars of goods have been deposited in the country’s ports and customs, and the CBI and the Customs Office do not allow clearance?
“About seven billion dollars of goods have been deposited in the country’s customs. Under the pretext of shortage of basic goods and their decay during this period, significant pressure was applied to clear them. Finally, the import order was issued in the applicant’s currency. But why was the CBI opposed to allocating applicant currency for imports, and what would be the consequences?” Eghtesad Online wrote on November 2.
Iranian Officials Deceptively Play with Unemployment Statistics
Deposition of Goods at Customs, What Is the Reality of the Story?
On the other hand, the government media exploited the situation to take advantage of the market shortage and pressure the sectors that had the authority to distribute government currency. “Blocking the ways to exports and increasing the inflow of foreign exchange from non-oil exports of small exporters and locking in imports with the term ‘customs clearance’ has become two tools to prolong the period of crisis in the domestic market. The term ‘customs clearance’ has entered the country’s media literature two years ago and has played a role in justifying the high cost of goods and shortages in the market,” Tasnim news agency wrote on September 30. However, in its November 15 report, Javan Online shed more light on the dilemma’s root. “A review of measures and approvals to reduce the deposit of goods from 2018 to November of this year indicates the lack of proper strategy and planning, along with disagreements between trade-related agencies and the CBI to provide foreign exchange,” the website wrote. “The accumulation and deposition of goods in ports and customs became a new challenge in the second half of 2018, because, before that, basic goods, essential raw materials of production and intermediates were available in warehouses or at the country’s entry points and were cleared almost without any problem… Gradually, with the tightening of sanctions and a sharp decline in oil exports and, consequently, the country’s limited foreign exchange resources, the issue of goods deposited in customs increased,” Javan Online added. For the first time in the second half of 2018, customs officials warned in reports of an increase in the volume of goods behind the country’s gates. Many of them are either not declared to customs for various reasons or, if stated, customs formalities and clearance permits are suspended for various reasons. “But the fact is that there is significant damage in this area. Some commodity owners import goods that are not necessary and a priority for the country and are stored, so with the code name of sediment, the government is under pressure to determine its task. With these descriptions, the main problems of sedimentation went back to the issue of specialization and currency supply,” Fars news agency reported on November 14.Why the World Rejects Iran as an Economic Partner?On the other hand, the private sector cannot compete with the government’s factions and only complains about this matter. “Some tried to import large quantities of goods contrary to the notification instructions… Others can easily re-import goods into the country, convert the imported goods into rials, repurchase the mentioned items. They can re-leave the country and continue the money laundering and smuggling cycle through money laundering and using it as the applicant currency,” Jahan-e Sanat daily quoted Majid Reza Hariri, President of the Iran-China Chamber of Commerce, as saying on November 25. “Therefore, there is no applicant currency and no import without currency transfer. All import needs are met either through the free currency market, which increases the high demand for money despite the limited supply of the market and raises the currency price, or through the sale of smuggled goods abroad,” he added. “To find out the facts, it is enough to look at the announcement of the import of 420 containers of home appliances. To see to what extent domestic organized gangs, that all institutions and organizations are involved in forming and strengthening it, and are changing the rules and regulations in their favor,” Hariri ended.
Why Iran Tries to Shut Down Internet?
The Iranian government is slowing down, disrupting, or even cutting off the internet inside its country as a method of social control.
The authorities and the suppressive forces, like the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) and the Basij, express fear daily over the “freedoms” of the people on the internet possibly leading to protests, which then forces politicians to pass laws regulating the internet and suppressing information.
Iran’s New Internet CrackdownThis isn’t new. In the 1980s, the ayatollahs tried to ban VCRs for the same reason, with arrests and fines for being caught in possession of a videotape or the machine to play it on. These laws were rescinded in 1993 when satellite TV channels posed a greater concern for the continued rule of the ayatollahs. These channels aired programs on issues that the ayatollahs had tried to cover up over the years, which led to a ban on satellite TVs and creation, distribution, repairing, or possession of satellite TV dishes punishable by fines, flogging, and prison. This too failed. Those who detested the government (and these numbers just keep growing) installed the dishes anyway, risking punishment for access to information. Some 70 percent of households now have a dish and the authorities know that punishment is futile. After all, the information they keep trying to hide is now being widely shared online. Even state-run media outlets like Shargh daily warned that fighting the internet would be another crushing defeat for ayatollahs and warned the ayatollahs against filtering the internet because the people would find a way around it anyway. So, given that the government knows that the repression just leads to further rebellion, why continue? They certainly can’t stop the spread of information, but they must try because their rue depends on obscuring as much of the truth from as many of the people for as long as possible or the government would stand no chance against the people in power.
Iran Plans to Block All Messaging Apps“Submitting to the smallest gap in this dominance would give way to a series of retreats for the regime, which in turn means the beginning of the end for Iran’s regime. The bubble of a totalitarian establishment based on ‘lies’, ‘hypocrisy’ and ‘repression’ must always be protected in every way with the most extreme and barbaric methods,” the Iranian opposition Mojahedin-e Khalq explained. “Of course, failure of the regime to impose these oppressive restrictions indicate the Iranian people’s strength and determination who have stood against the mullahs’ repressive ambitions,” it added.
Political Rivalries Amplify as More Iranians Go Below Poverty Line
For years, all Iranian factions have promised to improve the living conditions of people but every single time that power changed hands, it never even came within reach of everyday Iranians.
The country’s poverty rate has steadily been increasing since the ayatollahs came to power, with more people unable to afford the basics, and things are set to get worse still as unemployment rises because of the uncontrolled spread of the coronavirus.
In the end, it didn’t matter whether the hardliners or the reformists were in control because the Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei is the country’s final-say individual and both factions are loyal to him, meaning there is hardly any difference between the two.
“The two ruling factions are disputing on how much to help people! One offers a plan, the other rejects it, but executes the same plan. The government has said from the beginning that it opposes the parliament’s livelihood package plan because there is no financial source to guarantee it,” wrote Aftab-e Yazd daily, adding, “However, now the president has announced that livelihood assistance will be provided to some segments of the society.”
The ayatollahs have stolen hundreds of billions of dollars from the Iranian people over the years, using it for terrorism, warfare, and lining their own pockets, which has only increased poverty.
Wasting Iranian People’s Wealth on Proxy Wars and Terrorist ActsIn 2013, President Hassan Rouhani claimed on the campaign trail that a vote for him meant a vote for ending subsidies, implying that people would be self-sufficient. In fact, things have gotten worse, with inflation at 40 percent, decrease in value of the currency, economic growth at minus 7 percent, and liquidity at over 30 trillion rials [$120 milllion], something even admitted to by the media and the Statistical Center of Iran. The Statistical Center of Iran even said that “purchasing power has halved” since August 2017 due to a 100 percent increase in inflation. This is backed up by international economic institutions and media like the Economist, which said only Tehran has seen such an increase in inflation in such a short time. Now, of course, the factions are blaming each other ahead of next year’s presidential elections, each hoping to ensure the hollow victory for their side by making the same tired old promises. More than ever before though, the people aren’t listening. “It doesn’t matter who wins, everyone is trying to win, but no one asks what the difference will be for the society. Of course, people no longer listen to these factional debates, and they say, ‘They are all the same,’” said Ahmad Hakimipour, Secretary-General of the ‘Will of the Iranian Nation Party.’
Violence Against Women Still Going Strong in Iran
November 25 was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, but for Iranian women that is still so far out of grasp. In fact, even officials admit that reports of violence against women have increased by at least 20 percent compared to previous years.
The problem is that, unlike most countries, Iran has not criminalized violence against women; rather it is promoted. Let’s look at the main types of this behavior.
Iranian Authorities Impose and Implement Forced-Veiling Rules
Women in Iran are denied the right to chose how they dress, even though the vast majority of people oppose compulsory hijab, but this isn’t even about the denial of this basic freedom. Rather it’s about the way women and girls who do not abide by this sexist dress code are treated. There are over 27 institutions tasked with enforcing the compulsory hijab, with many women being beaten, stabbed, or attacked with acid by the officials for not wearing the hijab or even allowing it to slip accidentally.Honor Killings Backed by Iran’s Misogynist Law
Hundreds of Iranian women are killed in “honor killings” each year, with the state-run ISNA news agency estimating the numbers to be “between 375 and 450,” which accounts for 20 percent of all murders in Iran. This is systemic because the government condones it, with the Penal Code stating that fathers and paternal grandfathers cannot be sentenced to death for killing their child or grandchild. It even states outright that a husband can legally kill his wife on the spot if he catches her cheating on him.Thirteen Y/O Iranian Girl Beheaded by Father in a So-Called Honor Killing
Officials and Clerics Promote Early Marriages
Iranian girls can be married at 13, or nine with a judge’s approval. Recently, the Parliament (Majlis) has rejected bills to increase the marriage age to 16, which is violence against the most vulnerable. Some 600,000 underage girls are married each year, including 234,000 involving girls under the age of 15. They are likely to be married to a much older man, forced to have sex early, get pregnant and give birth early, and be subjected to domestic violence.Iranian Women and Girls Exposed to Domestic Violence
Iran doesn’t have a law to combat domestic violence and the Majlis has created numerous obstacles to joining the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, which only four United Nations countries have not signed. Since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, many provinces have reported a 50 percent to 1000 percent increase in social emergency calls linked with domestic violence.Systematic Harassment Against Women’s Rights Defenders in Iran
Women’s rights activists are significantly abused in Iran, receiving long-term prison sentences, which is followed by horrific systematic abuse in prisons that is designed to break the spirit of prisoners and deter other activists. In one case, three female anti-hijab activists – Yasaman Aryani, Monireh Arabshahi, and Mojgan Keshavarz – were given 55.5 years for failing to wear the Hijab, on the charges of “association and collusion against national security,” “disseminating propaganda against the state,” “encouraging and preparing the grounds for corruption and prostitution,” and “insulting the sanctities”. None of them received legal representation.The Violence Against Women Bill
In September 2019, the Judiciary announced that it had approved a VAW bill after eight years but by the time this bill reached the government, its purpose was changed and it was stripped of all power and just doubles down on existing protections for those who abuse women. “If the bill is passed, the situation for women will be significantly worse. The current bill eliminates the word violence against women and the parts that had addressed women’s security has either been omitted or changed somehow. As a result, the nature of the bill is totally lost,” said former MP from Tehran Parvaneh Salahshori.Iranian Authorities Use Coronavirus as a Political Reason
In Iran, every political, social, and economic issue becomes a confusing mess. Due to the government’s perspectives, all the subjects are considered security issues and there is no expertise.
Therefore, the subjects have no chance to find their real place, and political-security rivalries are sparked among them. And the coronavirus outbreak is one of the topics that has become very serious now. In this context, the pandemic is now the most crucial political-security issue for the government.
From the coronavirus’ transfer to Iran by Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)-owned Mahan Airlines planes to the officials’ deliberate silence at the beginning of the outbreak from Qom, and the resignation of two officials of Health Ministry in recent weeks, everything is due to the political and security nature of this issue.
Coronavirus: New “Human Error” by the Iranian GovernmentIn the meantime, these political and security challenges have contributed to the loss of more than 170,000 lives in Iran. The officials’ resignation is now revealing some of the realities behind the curtains of the coronavirus outbreak. In recent months, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani continuously bragged about the Islamic Republic’s progress fighting against the virus and advancing even countries like Germany and the USA. Of course, Rouhani, due to his two characteristics, charlatanism and fraud, never provided any evidence or scientific proof. Now, after these two resignations, it is clear that he and his government are empty-handed behind the scenes. After nine months of the political game, Health Minister Saeed Namaki revealed all the ministry’s research department in the field of the coronavirus were wrong. “98 percent of their research does not work,” he said. In response to Namaki’s remarks, Reza Malekzadeh, Deputy Minister of Research and Technology of the Ministry of Health, resigned and unveiled a few more behind the scenes of lies and deception. “You have shied away from accepting responsibility whenever the morbidity and mortality rate has increased. And whenever the statistics go down a bit, you claim to teach the world how to manage the coronavirus crisis, and you have recently talked about launching a vaccine production campaign in Iran,” Malekzadeh wrote. Another aspect of these resignations, which shows how political the coronavirus in Iran is, and it depends on factional interests, is the regime’s security officials’ reaction in the state media. The essence of these two people’s resignation has not yet dried up, the whole story of security and even espionage is being shown, and the cases are being opened in the usual way of regime’s propaganda. On November 23, a Telegram channel affiliated to the IRGC demanded the arrest of the two resigned. This IRGC channel introduced Reza Malekzadeh as a person related to the ‘Zionist World Health Organization (WHO),’ writing: “Turned Iranian citizens into laboratory mice of the organization’s drugs.” On the other hand, Rouhani’s faction seized the opportunity and tried to ruin the entire nine-month coronavirus crisis and Rouhani’s statistics on these two. On Twitter, Alireza Moezzi, a member of the president’s office, tried to sacrifice Reza Malekzadeh because of the government’s mistakes. “Rouhani’s remarks were based on estimates by the Deputy Minister of Health,” he posted. It can be seen how much the Health Minister and President were claiming the horn from the first day that all the coronavirus affairs are under control. But when the politicalized coronavirus did not help the regime, they immediately sacrificed their subordinates. In the meantime, the coronavirus has now resulted in more than 170,000 casualties from Iran’s population. A noteworthy point in these games, which can strengthen a prediction, is the beginning of political competition within the government, intending to prepare itself for the 2021 presidential election show.
IRGC Rushes for Iran’s 2021 Presidential ElectionIn this show, the coronavirus has become a compromise between the interests of the factions and shows that from the beginning, there was no will or decision on the part of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and Rouhani to confront it, and everything that happened – like the example above—was a political and security game with life and existence of the people.
Iran Diplomat on Trial for Terrorism
Friday, November 27, 2020, is a day that will go down in the history books as the first time that an agent of Iran has gone on trial in Europe for terrorism. According to reports, the Belgian Judiciary demanded a sentence of up to 20 years imprisonment for Assadollah Assadi for orchestrating a bomb plot against the Iranian opposition rally in Paris on June 30, 2018.
While there will be four defendants in the dock, it will essentially be the Iranian government on trial because a high-ranking diplomat will be tried for the attempted bombing of the 2018 Free Iran rally in Paris, something he did under the orders of the highest levels of the government.
Assadi, who was then serving as the third counselor at the Iranian embassy in Vienna, not only masterminded the operation but also arranged the delivery of an explosive device into Europe, personally handed it off to an Iranian-Belgian couple in Luxembourg and gave them instructions to drop it off at the rally site in Paris.
Trial of Iranian Terrorists Should Restrict Tehran’s Terror MachineEuropean investigations tracing the device back to its origin determined that the plot was known about and approved of by Iran’s top officials, including President Hassan Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Belgian state security service’s chief said the plot was “not a matter of Assadi’s personal initiative” but instead “conceived in the name of Iran and under its leadership”, while the Belgian judiciary spokesperson said that “practically all” Iranian embassy employees are members of the Iranian Secret Service. The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), whose rally Tehran targeted, wrote: “The June 2018 terror plot simply stands apart from others of its kind because the fingerprints of higher authorities are more clearly impressed upon the evidence. This is apparently a testament both to the perceived value of the target in that case and to the vulnerable situation that the regime found itself in when attempting to confront that target.” That vulnerable situation was the threat of overthrow by an angry populace, who had staged nationwide protests in December 2017 and January 2018 with help from the pro-democracy group, the Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK/PMOI), something that even Khamenei was forced to admit. The rally, attended by 100,000 people and hundreds of dignitaries, was a prime place for the regime to target because of the horrific damage that could have been done, not just to NCRI members but also its President-elect Maryam Rajavi and those sitting near her, like former mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani and former US Ambassador to the UN Bill Richardson. This was a big risk that Tehran took as if Western countries would not respond to the assassination of their dignitaries on Western soil by the ayatollahs. It shows that mullahs were desperate and vulnerable. The international community will be able to (and should) exploit that because they have the moral imperative to react strongly when their own is targeted by terrorists. The West can use this trial as an impetus to dismantle diplomatic relations between Iran and themselves, knowing that Iran’s embassies are the breeding grounds for terrorism. They must close the embassies and expel Iranian diplomats.
Iranian Officials Deceptively Play with Unemployment Statistics
The Iranian government’s corrupt and incompetent officials have presented a new show with their lies about the statistics of unemployment.
Experts from the Parliamentary Research Center and analysts outside the government circle have concluded that the Iranian labor market’s situation is very different from the figures of the Government Statistics Compilation Chamber.
According to official statistics, the unemployment rate has dropped by 1.1 percent this spring compared to last spring. How is it possible?
Will the unemployment rate fall by one percent when many state-owned enterprises have been closed as well as shutters of market shops?
Of course, officials would deceive society; however, no one would be duped but themselves.
Therefore, according to the spring study of Iran’s labor market affiliated to Hassan Rouhani’s government, the country has experienced a 1.1-percent drop in unemployment compared to the spring of 2019. However, it is worth noting that the inactive population has increased significantly in the same period.
“Therefore, the decrease in the unemployment rate was due to the reduction of the participation rate, and the improvement of this index cannot show progress in the labor market situation,” Eghtesad News website wrote on 22 November. “In fact, in such a situation, the unemployment rate is a completely misleading indicator for analyzing the labor market.”
The study of the active and inactive population of the working-age community is always a crucial indicator in the labor market. The unfavorable situation of the labor market and the closure of some businesses, as well as the deep economic crises left over from the years of stagflation, have had the most significant impact on the active population’s developments.
In this context, the demand for the working force decreased, which means that the active population has also reduced. This summer, the government registered more than 26 million working-age people—either employed or unemployed—as the workforce population.
“Also, in the summer of 2020, compared to the same period of the previous year, more than 1.7 million people left the labor market, over 1.1 million of whom were women… In turn, these demographic changes have reduced the rate of economic participation compared to the same period last year,” Shargh daily wrote on 22 November.
Suffocating Iranians Under the Burden of Inflation
Increase in Inactive Population; Reduce the Unemployed Population!
“Evaluation of the Summer 2020 Labor Force Survey shows that the employed population has decreased by about 1.209 million people and the unemployed population has decreased by 417,000 people, while the inactive population has increased by 2.311 million citizens,” Eghtesad Online website reported on 28 October. Of course, the decline in the working population in the economy’s all sectors has not been alike. Labor market findings show that the share of the active people in the service sector decreased by 819,000. Also, the working population in the agricultural and industrial sectors decreased by 347,000 and 432,000, respectively. Meanwhile, this summer’s employed population of the farming industry had negative growth of 7.4 percent, and the industrial and service sectors’ population had a negative decline of 5 percent and 6.7 percent compared to last year’s same quarter. “Statistical studies also show that 73.2 percent of the total unemployed in the country in the summer of 2020 were in the age group of 18-35 years. If we consider the population under 18 years of age, a total of 74.2 percent of the total unemployed were under 35 years old and only 25 percent of them were over 35 years old,” Donya-e-Eghtesad daily wrote on 28 October. In its spring report, the Parliamentary Research Center outlined a glimpse of today’s economic realities in Iran. A significant proportion of young people looking for a job until last year, but due to failure in this endeavor, have abandoned the job search altogether. In other words, many young men, and women, became frustrated and hopeless and do not search for a suitable job anymore. This unfortunate situation, of course, in government statistics, shows that the unemployment rate has fallen. Iran’s government gracefully publish such misleading statistics in its media. Previously, there was a debate about who is basically employed. According to official indicators, the government did consider each person who works one hour a week as employed. However, now the debate has passed over these deceptions and statistics. According to the Research Center, 8.41 percent of the population aged 15 and over are economically active, i.e. they are in the employed or unemployed job-seeking group. Also, more than 58 percent of Iran’s working-age population do not seek a career at all. Also, the summer of this year’s economic participation rate decreased by 3.2 percent compared to the same season last year. Therefore, in every aspect and calculation, unemployment in Iran is many times what the government is trying to insinuate.Iran’s ‘Economic Collapse’ Has Not Happened So Far!
Mandatory Hijab State-Sponsored Violence Against Women in Iran
The Iranian government’s most prevalent form of violence against women is the mandatory hijab. In this respect, 100 percent of women forced to veil themselves every time they step out of their homes or face arrests or attacks by the State Security Force (SSF). Furthermore, there are 27 agencies in Iran charged with enforcing hijab.
SSF Commander Hossein Ashtari has actually bragged that 2,000 women are arrested every day for making their own decisions about what to wear, which would be bad enough. “But the small amount of eyewitness footage that we have of these arrests shows extreme violence,” Ashtari said.
Female Iranian MP Parvaneh Salahshouri once told a parliamentary session about the “undesirable psychological consequences” that women and girls are left with because of these attacks, which then lead to other ailments.
The punishment for failing to abide by the hijab is up to two months in prison or a 500,000 rial fine. The government applies these sentences to girls as young as nine. Also, those who encourage others to flout the sexist law can be sentenced to ten years in prison.
Sadly, the reality is that many punishments are often harsher, with Saba Kord Afshari sentenced to 24 years in prison for removing her veil. Women who are “improperly veiled” can also be denied an education or social services
The punishments are not solely doled out to those who choose not to wear the hijab at all. Although it would be bad enough, but also those who wear it too far back, exposing their hair, or even those who have a hair out of scarves.
So where does the money for the multiple task forces dedicated to women’s clothing come from? Has poverty in Iran been eliminated? Have all citizens been vaccinated against coronavirus? The answer is, unsurprisingly, no.
Iran: Khamenei’s Lieutenants Order Their Thugs to Carry Out Acid AttacksThis money, stolen from the Iranian people, is not being used to cushion the blow of the pandemic by paying unessential workers to stay home or paying health workers full stop. It is being used to monitor the clothing of women in public, at work, in shops, in cars, online, and even in the hospital to ensure that they meet the clerics’ strict standards. Meanwhile, 166,000 people have died from coronavirus and not one person died from seeing a woman in jeans and a t-shirt with nothing covering her hair. It’s important to note that 70 percent of women oppose the compulsory head-to-toe black veil (Chador) and only observe it to avoid violence. According to a 2018 report by the research center of the Parliament (Majlis), the true number was much higher. Former chief editor of Keyhan daily newspaper Mehdi Nassiri said that “support for the hijab goes down 5 percent each year, despite the government’s efforts.” Therefore, why is this issue as much as important to the authorities? Simply because they know that women are ready to overthrow the religious dictatorship. In this regard, they see women’s repression as a solution to stop further protests. However, it will not work as the experience has proven so far. Women will rise and continue resistance.
Why the World Rejects Iran as an Economic Partner?
It took ten years for 15 Asia-Pacific countries to agree on a trade agreement. Last week, China and 14 other countries signed a deal to form the world’s largest free-trade zone at the end of the 37th ASEAN Summit; Countries that make up one-third of the world economy. In addition to powerful countries such as China, Japan, and Australia, other powerful economic countries such as South Korea and New Zealand are also members.
The treaty is one of the most significant free trade agreements in the world’s history, affecting the lives of 2.2 billion people on Earth and accounting for 30 percent of its economic output.
Most of these countries are Iran’s allies and friends. However, why did they not allow Tehran to become a member of such an agreement?
In such circumstances, regional and global agreements are becoming extremely important. Practically, no country can even think about its existence without being a member of such contracts.
However, when it comes to the Iranian government, no country desires to be even close and cooperate with the ayatollahs because of their malign activities, from their controversial nuclear case to involvement in terror activities and proxy conflicts.
“ECO”, an Example of Iran’s Apparent Failure
One of the few regional organizations formed around Iran was the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). It included Pakistan, Turkey, Afghanistan, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Nonetheless, Iran’s membership prevented the agreement from achieving the minimum acceptable expectations. “According to some experts, the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) has not yet achieved its goal of expanding cooperation between member countries,” wrote Asr-e-Eghtesad website on November 17, 2018. “In recent years, industrial and trade relations in this organization are not at the desired level. Experts believe that given the weak economic power of member countries and also the vulnerable credit position of Iran, to achieve its vision should consider membership in other treaties such as the Shanghai Agreement,” the website added. Of course, a wish has not been fulfilled for Iran for the reasons stated, and its adverse economic effects are evident. “Due to Iran’s non-membership in reputable and powerful organizations such as Shanghai, Iran’s economy has benefited less from the benefits of globalization and international relations. This issue has made many foreign investors reluctant to enter the Iranian market,” Asr-e-Eghtesad added.With or Without FATF Approval, Iran’s Economic Crisis Won’t Be Resolved
“Financial Connection with the World” or “Iran’s Economic Isolation”?
When all Iranian officials believe in joining the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei preferred the interests of money laundering and circumventing sanctions. Furthermore, he favored the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC)’s corporate cover companies to foreign trade, isolating Iran globally, and labeling the entire country with terror financing, fraud, corruption, and organized crime. So far that even his officials expected an answer from him: “Regardless of any political debate, we must decide between one of two paths:- Joining the whole world and entering the FATF and continuing economic life as a member of the international community or
- Rejection of FATF and being left alone in the world financial system, disconnection of all banks in the world with Iran, and economic isolation.
