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Bill To Address Teachers’ Salary Demands Refused by the Iranian Parliament

Hoshang Amiri
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Bill To Address Teachers’ Salary Demands Refused by the Iranian Parliament

In a private session of the Iranian Majlis (parliament) on Sunday, the Iranian regime’s government officials refused to vote on a bill that would adjust the salaries of teachers in Iran, instead, they sent the bill back to the education commission to be revised.

This latest decision follows months of ongoing protests by teachers across Iran. The current salaries for teachers are leaving them living below the poverty line, barely able to provide for their families. The protests have been aimed at the education ministry, as well as other government institutions calling for increased salaries and more job opportunities.

According to MP Alireza Sefidan, member of the education commission, by passing the ranking bill, the regime would have to pay all teachers an extra 30 million rials per month and teachers with a master’s degree with an additional 70 million rials.

The regime’s budget deficit is already 450 trillion rials, and according to the industry, mines, and trade ministry, the regime doesn’t have enough income to fill the 307 trillion rial gap of the proposed salary increase.

This, however, is false as the regime would rather fund their terrorist proxy groups in the Middle East and pour money into developing weapons of mass destruction, rather than provide teachers in Iran, and other sectors of society, with enough money to solve society’s problems.

That of course, would be a hard decision for a regime that has built its power on spreading terrorism, violence, and Islamic fundamentalism across the region and repressing any form of dissent through arrests, torture, and executions.

Teachers in Iran have been protesting since last year, but the regime still refuses to address their demands. The latest series of demonstrations began in early September, just before the start of the new academic year. Among the demands are that the ‘80 percent ranking plan’ should be implemented. This plan ensures that teachers will receive at least 80% of the wages that faculty members receive so that they’re all receiving equal salaries.

The regime’s continued disregard for the needs of teachers and its repressive response to their demonstrations has gradually skewed their demands and rallies into political protests.

Along with the teachers’ protests, other segments of Iranian society have been holding protests to fight for their rights despite the severe repression and the regime’s disregard for the demands of Iranian citizens across the country.

Even the regime’s state-run media have warned of the potential consequences if the regime continues to avoid addressing the problems that need to be solved.

The Mostaghel newspaper wrote last month that considering the wave of protests across Iran ‘in response to livelihood and living conditions problems across the country’, the crises will not be overcome by the government simply using ‘band-aid responses and keeping the lid on the main demands’.

The article also read, “The security apparatus tries to stop the protests through pressure, but so long as livelihood problems are not solved, we will continue to see these protest rallies.”

Money Printing and Lies by Iran Government

Pooya Stone
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Money Printing and Lies by Iran Government

Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi has announced that his government will not be seeking to increase liquidity in the country and the country’s monetary base will not be increased. And he will decrease the budget deficit and inflation.

The question here is, how will Raisi do this?

Simply said, liquidity is the demand of the people from the government or the government’s debt to the people, so the higher the value, the higher the government’s debt to the people. Liquidity covers the following:

  • Banknotes or coins
  • Savings or bank credits (visual deposits)
  • Government budget deficit that leads to loans from the Central Bank
  • Banks’ debt to the Central Bank

Since under clerical rule, the country’s production has been destroyed and its national wealth has been spent on the export of terrorism and its anti-national missile and nuclear projects and since the sanctions imposed on the regime due to these policies have closed the ways of earning money for the country, the regime is faced with a huge budget deficit.

For this reason, to compensate for this loss, the regime is forced to rely on fiat money which has been injected into the country’s market. This action has increased the demand in the market and while the prices of the commodities in the market have been balanced with the dollar, this fiat money is losing its worth constantly against the dollar and the price of the commodities is increasing. Therefore, the increase of liquidity is increasing inflation.

The created liquidity and the lack of economic growth will ultimately put its burden on prices. It is currently emptying the people’s livelihood baskets.

The question is, in which hands is this liquidity?

An expert from the regime’s Economic Research Center of Parliament said: “90% of the country’s liquidity is in form of bank deposits, and 90% of these bank deposits are in the hands of 2% of depositors.”

This means that Iran’s state media are incorrect to claim that only 2 percent of the country’s population are controlling the wealth in the country; rather, only 2 percent of the country’s “depositors” are controlling 80 percent of the money in the country, which are the regime’s officials, their children, and affiliates.

Raisi claims that he has been able to solve economic issues and salaries during his time at work without printing money or increasing the monetary base.

Raisi made this allegation, while he in his previous remarks he had said: “Some governments have declared the treasury is empty. If I say in what situation the treasury was, they might say that you are starting the job by complaining.”

Indeed, while the treasury of the country is empty and the situation of the country’s economy is dramatic, the first question that has been raised is, with the help of what magic has Raisi been able to solve the economic obstacles and move the country forward?

That’s in a situation where the regime has lost at least 70 percent of its oil export and is facing a budget deficit of about $946 billion, which means a budget deficit of 50 percent.

Of course, another way to finance the budget deficit is to release fiscal papers. The regime’s economic ministry said that the government instead of borrowing from the Central Bank was able to earn $640 million from selling fiscal papers.

But how long will the regime be able to do this? Next year, the government must pay back the profits of these bonds, and the question is, from which sources will they do it?

The consequence will be an increase in people’s poverty, according to analysts. The release of fiscal papers helps the government postpone its debt to the future, but it is also a crisis for the government, which is facing a super economic crisis.

The release of fiscal papers is tantamount to ‘future selling’, hostage-taking of Iran’s economy, and passing current problems to future generations.

The situation is so critical that even the state-run media are questioning Raisi’s decisions.

“While government officials point to non-borrowing as their most important achievement, a survey of the central bank’s recent report shows that the government has continued to move towards banks so that the daily decline in the number of interbank transactions and the mild slope of interest rates in the interbank market indicate that the level of surplus reserves of banks in the interbank market has been accompanied by a sharp decline. That’s the result of the government’s fiscal behavior.

“As a result, the government has withdrawn from the banks’ resources to finance its costs instead of borrowing from the Central Bank, which because of withdrawing over the specified ceiling, the banks have no reserves with the Central Bank.

“Therefore, as a result, there is no difference in the whole story, and the Central Bank has no choice but to create money to provide overdrives and conversions.” (State-run daily Arman, October 23, 2021)

Trying to hide this disaster, the government’s economic experts have confessed that all the financial statements of the banks are fake.

Corrupt Government Harshly Punishes the Poor and Deprived While Plundering Iran’s Assets

Hoshang Amiri
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Corrupt Government Harshly Punishes the Poor and Deprived While Plundering Iran’s Assets

In Qom province in central Iran, the Iranian regime’s judiciary has recently sentenced a father of three to 40 lashes and 10 months in prison because he stole three packets of cashew nuts. The cruel sentencing for such a minor crime has caused outrage among Iranian society and the case has gone viral on social media.

The court sentence was issued at a time when trillions of rials from the Iranian people’s property is being looted daily by regime officials and government-linked entities. All the while, the regime’s judiciary is doing nothing.

According to downsized government statistics that the state-run Bahar News website published on October 25, 40 million Iranians need assistance to help provide for their families. From these statistics, this equates to nearly 500 people falling below the absolute poverty line in Iran every hour.

An article on the Asr-e Iran website stated that “more than a third of Iranians live not in poverty, but in absolute poverty…the number of people living below the absolute poverty line a year ago was 26 million.” According to updated figures, a further 4 million have joined them in the past year bringing the total now to 30 million.”

The state-run Shargh daily said, “When the facilities necessary for a dignified and developing lifestyle cannot be provided, and employment is scarce, adequate food and treatment will become the dreams of vulnerable families.”

The current widespread poverty and the fact that a large part of the population is below the absolute poverty line is the flip coin of the astronomical fortunes of regime officials, and institutions linked to the mullahs’ Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who controls a large part of the country’s economy.

In an interview in 2014, the Deputy Minister of Economy under then-president Mohammad Khatami, Mohsen Safaei Farahani voiced his concerns over the regime’s corruption. He explained that there are around 120 different institutions linked to the regime or Khamenei and they control about 50% of Iran’s GDP. He also said, regarding the institutions, entities, and foundations, that “there is absolutely no proper control over their performance.”

Most of the institutions and foundations that contribute to this institutionalized plundering are linked to Khamenei, such as the IRGC, the Headquarters for Executing the Order of the Imam (SETAD), (referred to by the U. S. Treasury Department as The Execution of Imam Khomeini’s Order, ‘EIKO’), and other such entities.

The SETAD, despite being part of the non-government public sector, plays one of the biggest roles in terms of plundering the country’s assets. Its influence and sheer dominance over Iran’s economy reportedly surpass that of the IRGC.

These institutions are plundering the mere property of poor Iranians while the regime brutally oppresses the people’s slightest social and economic demands. This is how the mullahs’ regime defines justice.

The regime is the ones who have left Iranian society living in horrible conditions and instead of helping those in need, they would rather harshly punish the deprived and the poor who must resort to stealing to feed their children.

Meaning of Iran’s Drone Sanctions in the Context of Its Nuclear Crisis

Shahin Mahmoudi
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Meaning of Iran’s Drone Sanctions in the Context of Its Nuclear Crisis

The U.S. Treasury slapped new sanctions on Iran’s Revolutionary’s (IRGC) as well as the IRGC Quds Force drone network and its responsible commanders. Four IRGC commanders including Yousef Aboutalebi, Saeed Aghajani, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force UAV Command, Abdollah Mehrabi, and Mohammad Mohammad Ebrahim Zargar Tehrani were added to the sanctions list.

In addition to these individuals two companies relating to the regime’s destructive drone activities were also sanctioned:

KIMIA PART SIVAN COMPANY LLC is linked to the IRGC’s Quds Force and the OJE PARVAZ MADO NAFAR COMPANY is linked to the IRGC.

The US Treasury said in the sanctions statement:

“Today, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated members of a network of companies and individuals that have provided critical support to the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) programs of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its expeditionary unit, the IRGC Qods Force (IRGC-QF).

“The IRGC-QF has used and proliferated lethal UAVs for use by Iran-supported groups, including Hizballah, HAMAS, Kata’ib Hizballah, and the Houthis, and to Ethiopia, where the escalating crisis threatens to destabilize the broader region. Lethal UAVs have been used in attacks on international shipping and on U.S. forces.”

The US Treasury emphasized that “Treasury will continue to hold Iran accountable for its irresponsible and violent acts.”

The IRGC was placed on the sanctions list in part and in full in 2007 and 2017 according to several different executive orders, the last of which was on October 13, 2017, when the entirety of the IRGC was placed on the US sanctions list.

One of the regime’s central weapons for exporting terrorism and warmongering are drones, so over the past decade, the regime has invested heavily in drone production and has allocated a large budget despite a severe economic crisis.

Its foreign wing, the terrorist Quds Force group, is using the regime’s different drones to attack other countries in the region and destabilize them. The regime by this way is compensating its aerospace weakness with these drones, because since the start of its reign the regime was not able to create a war-effective air force, mostly because of its global sanctions.

The regime’s drone network consists of three parts:

  • The UAV production sector, which is run by the regime’s Ministry of Defense
  • The maintenance, use, and command of the UAV, which is carried out by the IRGC Air Force
  • The use of drones, which is transferred by the Quds terrorist force to the regime’s proxy groups throughout the region.

To produce drones, the regime smuggles part of its main components, such as engines and electronic components, from outside sources and produces other parts domestically.

According to the information obtained, a total of eight industries are involved in the construction of drones in Iran.

Some of these industries are subsidiaries of the regime’s Ministry of Defense’s Air Industries Organization. Another part of these factories relates to the IRGC Air Force and other armed forces of the regime which are apparently non-governmental.

Each of these is responsible for building different parts of the drones and eventually mounting them together. These sanctions are important while the United States and European countries seek a new nuclear deal with the regime, particularly the sanctions those affiliated with the IRGC, which are the regime’s main pillars of repression and warmongering. This indicates that these countries will not obey the regime’s blackmailing.

That is because the regime is trying to take more concessions from the international community and is seeking that the sanctions will be lifted.

As we witnessed that the regime’s foreign ministry spokesman, Saeed Khatibzadeh, angry about the new U.S. Treasury sanctions on its drone program said:

“The imposition of new sanctions reflects the White House’s completely contradictory behavior. The U.S. government says it intends to return to the JCPOA but continues the same approach as the previous administration in imposing sanctions. America is not really trustworthy by sending this message. The U.S. imposes new sanctions on Iran, including four individuals and entities.”

Iran: Khamenei Is Stuck in Solving the JCPOA Challenge

Mehdi Hosseini
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Iran: Khamenei Is Stuck in Solving the JCPOA Challenge

By wasting time, the Iranian government is trying to defy the conditions expected by the Western powers, especially the US government, in Tehran’s nuclear negotiations with world powers. Analysts believe this is in the hope of forcing them to give the regime more concessions and step back from their demands that the regime halts its missile and regional projects.

That’s unacceptable for Western powers. In an interview with Al-Arabiya TV on October 2, 2021, the French Foreign Minister emphasized that the path to negotiations will not remain permanently open and that regional and missile issues should be negotiated.

In return wasting time, western officials have repeatedly warned them. European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said Iran should know that time is not in its best interests and that it is better to return to the negotiating table soon.

French President Emmanuel Macron, in a phone call with China’s president, also called for the regime’s adherence to the terms of the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the JCPOA, and warned the regime against violating the JCPOA.

The state-run news agency Student News Network (SNN) quoted French President Emmanuel Macron and wrote: “Iran must end activities that contradict JCPOA provisions.” (SNN, October 27, 2021)

According to the Evening Standard, Liz Truss, the British Foreign Minister, also warned: “Iran has no credible civilian justification for its nuclear escalation. As I made clear to my Iranian counterpart, Iran needs to urgently return to the negotiating table.

“If Iran does not engage meaningfully in negotiations, we will reconsider our approach. All options are on the table.” (Evening Standard, October 27, 2021)

The US Special Representative for Iran, Robert Malley, has shared America’s “growing concern” about Iran’s alleged nuclear advancement, as he declared that talks over reviving the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal are in a critical phase.

He said that there is a “growing concern over the pace and direction of Iran’s nuclear progress.” (RT, 25 October 2021)

The Director-General of the International Atomic Agency (IAEA) recently warned the regime to abandon its disposal policy and not disrupt the agency’s oversight of inspections of nuclear facilities.

Although the regime apparently wants to pressure the negotiating countries to achieve its goal in possible future negotiations, the reality is that the regime’s supreme leaders Ali Khamenei can’t determine the JCPOA’s situation and is confused about it.

On the one hand, he is under pressure from Western countries and their constant threats, and on the other hand, even within his faction, there is no unified policy, and there are conflicting statements about the JCPOA and its discussions.

Elements within the principlist faction consider the JCPOA dead, as Khamenei’s mouthpiece in the Kayhan newspaper Shariatmadari called it a ‘deadly poison’ and a ‘stinking body.’

The regime’s president Ebrahim Raisi, however, speaks of negotiations, as he said in a recent interview with the state-TV Channel 1, “Iran has never left the negotiating table, and we are certainly serious about outcome-oriented negotiations.” (State-TV Channel 1, October 18, 2021)

Iranian officials, including Khamenei, know well that giving in to the ‘real negotiations’ desired by Western countries means that they must submit to their demands and negotiate regional and missile policy and surrender, and it is impossible to revive the 2015 JCPOA.

Iran’s state media and experts have acknowledged the fact that the regime’s so-called tactics of delay and not giving in to the ‘real negotiations’ desired by Western countries are shabby methods that cannot have any achievement for the regime.

The state-run daily Etemad wrote: “The lifting of all nuclear and non-nuclear sanctions was also discussed in the previous administration’s negotiations, and ultimately this demand did not work out. It should be noted that when the U.S. uses sanctions as a pressure tool, it is very unlikely that the U.S. will abandon it entirely. We can make this demand, but in practice, all predictions say this will not be fulfilled.” (State-run daily Etemad, October 28, 2021)

The state-run daily Arman took a step further and called the regime’s behavior dangerous and said:

“From the tone of all the permanent members of the Security Council, they are bored, and everyone is willing to see Iran enter these serious negotiations decisively, transparently, and accurately, and the outcome should that what the JCPOA members are waiting for. Because the impasse is a major threat that is turning over Iran’s head and can go as far as military intervention.” (State-run daily Arman, October 28, 2021)

This is something that is lurking behind the regime’s doors: “Mr. Sullivan explained that this administration believes diplomacy is the best path to achieve that goal, while also noting that the president has made clear that if diplomacy fails, the United States is prepared to turn to other options.”(Algemeiner, October 5, 2021)

Corrupt Family Appointments in Iran’s Government

Sia Rajabi
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Corrupt Family Appointments in Iran’s Government

The Iranian new government which is composed of Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) commanders, after the direct order of the regime’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei to build a young Hezbollahi government, like its predecessors is working in the direction of the regime’s plundering policies.

Ebrahim Raisi has selected many of the regime’s new officials from people who have no experience in political and executive administration. Therefore, there is no doubt left that these appointments are due to the regime’s critical situation and its fear of the people.

At least 13 governors have been selected from the IRGC. Also, many of the government’s officials are selected from the IRGC and other regime’s repressive organizations and are members of the regime’s principlist faction.

These authorities include:

  • Brigadier General Ahmad Vahidi (Interior Minister) former head of the Quds Force and former Minister of Defense.
  • Hossein Amir Abdollahian (Foreign Minister) Qasem Soleimani’s assistant in the IRGC-QF force.
  • Brigadier General Rostam Qasemi (Minister of Housing and Urban Development) former head of the Construction Headquarters known as Khatam al-Anbia of the Revolutionary Guards.
  • Cleric Ismail Khatib (Minister of Intelligence) is a key member of the infamous Ministry of Intelligence.
  • Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Gharai Ashtiani (Minister of Defense) was a commander of the regime’s army.
  • Brigadier General Saeed Mohammad (Raisi’s advisor on free trade, industrial and special economic zones’ former head of the IRGC’s Khatam al-Anbia headquarters.
  • Alireza Zakani (Mayor of Tehran) is a key member of the Ministry of Intelligence and Basij.

About the other appointments, the state-run daily Mardom Salari in an article entitled ‘the period of son-in-law appointments’, named the names of some of the regime officials son-in-law of the principlist faction who has gained a position in the government and wrote:

“Farshad Mehdipour is deputy press secretary for the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance, son-in-law of Hassan Khojasteh (Khamenei’s brother-in-law).

“Javad Mohammadi is the secretary of the Supreme Council for the Recruitment of The Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, son-in-law of Mohammadi Araghi a member of this council.

Mohammad Aghasi is the Secretary of the Culture Headquarters of the Supreme Council of the Cultural Revolution, son-in-law of Major General Rahim Safavi.

“Vahid Khavehi is the new CEO of the Alavi Foundation, the son-in-law of Ahmadi Moqaddam, former commander of the police force.

“Malik Rahmati is the deputy head of Astan Quds Foundation, Hashemi’s son-in-law, who is the economic deputy of the Executive Headquarters of Imam’s Order (EIKO).

“Ahmadi son-in-law Mohsen Rezaei was also supposed to be managing director of the Saderat Bank, who had a bad fortune.” (State-run daily Mardom Salari, October 27, 2021)

Alireza Zakani, who played in the past years the role of a clean politician and attacked many in the government for such appointments and corrupt clans, has appointed his son-in-law in a very beneficial position in Tehran’s Municipality.

“Before going to the municipality, Zakani had announced that the era of ‘Nepotism’ and ‘cronyism’ in Tehran municipality was over, but it was not long before his first ‘Nepotism ’ became the quotes of media circles.” (State-run daily Hamdeli, October 27, 2021)

The state-run media outlet Aftab named this corrupt clan a ‘huge problem’ and wrote:

“In addition to the criticisms and objections to the appointment of Zakani’s son-in-law in Tehran Municipality, in a beneficial post, please keep in mind that this issue is not limited to Tehran municipality firstly, the problem is deeply rooted and has nothing to do with this institution and that institution or this and that current.

“Wherever there is wealth and power accumulated, this special looting and rent-seeking exist, and every current that gains power is first thinking about appointing those close to him.” (State-run daily Aftab-e-Yazd, October 27, 2021)

Finally, the state-run website Asr-e-Iran wrote the issue about the regime’s corruption, that there is no difference between the two factions, and all of them are rent-seekers and corrupt people, and exposing each other is just to gain more power and wealth.

“Dear politicians from both currents know that we are accustomed to your family appointments and that whenever the election is raised, you are speaking about competently and say that when we come to work, we lock the family door so that it doesn’t come out of the house, let alone give them a post! But once you’ve crossed the bridge, you are doing your job and make family appointments thriving.” (State-run website Asr-e-Iran, October 26, 2021)

Iran’s Government Warned of Possible Uprisings Akin to Those in Recent Years

Hoshang Amiri
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Iran’s Government Warned of Possible Uprisings Akin to Those in Recent Years

With the worsening crises in Iran, in recent days the state-run media have been discussing the regime’s fears of another uprising as society’s restiveness intensifies. Iranian people are suffering under dire conditions due to the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the country’s mounting social and economic crises and are making their frustrations known to the Iranian regime.

Even though the Covid-19 death toll in Iran is getting worse by the day, the regime has made the decision to push ahead and reopen schools, just as many health experts warn of a sixth wave of the virus on the horizon.

The head of the Virology Research Center at the Beheshti University spoke to the Mardom Salari Daily and warned that while many adults are being vaccinated, the reopening of schools and universities now could lead to a large spread of the virus to under 18s.

Over 464 700 people have lost their lives due to the Covid-19 pandemic in Iran, according to reports compiled by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) as of Tuesday afternoon local time.

The Setare Sobh daily wrote in their October 25 publication that experts have suggested that it would have been more efficient if restrictions were lifted step by step. They also said that the rate of vaccinations in Iran falls far below the desired level of 80% of the population.

As for the dire state of Iran’s economy, many of the issues have stemmed from the regime’s institutionalized corruption. As the crisis worsens, instead of finding solutions to overcome the issues, the regime’s factions are just blaming each other.

Since assuming office in August 2021, the regime’s new president Ebrahim Raisi has continued the path of his predecessor Rouhani in giving hollow economic promises. His hollow promises and futile provincial visits. Raisi also tries to blame Rouhani for all problems.

The Arman daily wrote on October 23 that even after three months since the implementation of the new administration, there have yet to be any written or practical solutions from the government to fix the problems faced by the Iranian people.

The same day, Aftab-e Yazd stated that the inflation rate in Iran has recently reached its highest point. They wrote, “This is an important reason why economists have no hope for the future of the country’s economy, and with the current trend of policies concerning the economy and foreign policy, we will definitely face triple-digit inflation by next year.”

Sharq daily has warned regime officials that they should expect major protests on the level of the January 2018 and November 2019 uprisings as more and more Iranians are being pushed under the poverty line. The discrepancy between the levels of inflation and the low incomes, along with the chronic lack of job opportunities, means that many people are unable to provide adequate food and medical treatment for their families.

Discussing fuel prices, Arman daily acknowledged that all or a significant part of the price increase is due to mismanagement. Since people see that after three decades, they must pay the costs for the officials’ recklessness, they can no longer tolerate the situation.

The Arman daily warned on October 25 that in the current climate of the crises in Iran, “When the conditions are ripe for chaos, any minor incident could cause the greatest crises ever… every incident, however small, may ignite a fire that cannot be extinguished,”

Iran’s Government Fears Further Protests Following Gas Station Disruptions

Hoshang Amiri
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Iran’s Government Fears Further Protests Following Gas Station Disruptions

Reports from state media indicated that on Tuesday, the sales of gasoline were disrupted at gas stations across Iran due to a massive cyberattack causing long queues and frustrated citizens. This incident comes just weeks before the anniversary of the major uprising that took place in November 2019.

In Isfahan, a digital traffic billboard read ‘Khamenei, where is our gasoline?’, displaying the increasing public dissatisfaction which has got the Iranian regime officials fearing another uprising is on the horizon.

While there have been many speculations recently that Tehran is going to increase the fuel price, the regime’s Interior Minister, Ahmad Vahidi, rushed to the scene and vehemently denied any attempt to raise the fuel price.

Energy experts in Iran have suggested that the increase of fuel prices was ‘inevitable’ to increase the production capacity of gasoline in the country. On the other hand, they have also previously warned the regime about the likely social consequences of the increased fuel prices.

Speaking to the IMNA news agency on October 26, Energy expert for the regime, Hassan Moradi said, “We have no choice but to relatively increase fuel price to increase the production capacity of gasoline. But to calculate the amount of this price increase, we must thoroughly examine the situation of the society.”

He explained that as the per capita consumption of gasoline in Iran is much higher than in other countries, there was no other choice than to increase the prices for the regime to ‘compensate part of the budget deficit’.

It is worth noting that in recent months, the Iranian regime has shipped tons of fuel to Lebanon to decrease pressure on its terrorist proxy group, Hezbollah, amid Lebanon’s financial and fuel crisis and people’s protests Hezbollah’s devastating role in their country.

The last time a sudden increase in fuel prices took place in November 2019, large protests erupted and spread across the country within hours, with protesters calling for regime change and attacking the regime’s acts of repression and corruption. The situation was eventually suppressed by the regime but at the cost of the lives of over 1,500 protesters, who were brutally shot down on the streets. Thousands more of the protesters were arrested or severely injured at the hands of the regime’s security forces.

The extent of the uprising shook the regime to its core and threatened to topple them. The threat of an event on this scale taking place again is what terrified regime officials during the recent disruptions at gas stations across the country and prompted them to react rapidly.

Farhikhtegan newspaper belonging to Velayati, Khamenei’s advisor, wrote: “On Tuesday, the multi-hour closure of the country’s gas stations was an accident that could cause public discontent and protests on the eve of the anniversary of November 2019.

“At the same time, some dissident media try to instill this line of thought to the people that the government is incapable of supplying fuel and intends to make energy carriers expensive in order to bring people to the streets by creating public discontent.” (Farhikhtegan Newspaper, October 27, 2021)

The Arman daily warned the regime that, “All or a significant part of the price increase is due to mismanagement. Since people can see that after three decades, they must pay the costs of the officials’ recklessness, and since inequalities have increased, they can no longer tolerate the situation. Thus, it is not a good time to increase the fuel price.”

Iran: Justice Under the Mullahs’ Rule

Jubin Katiraie
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Iran: Justice Under the Mullahs’ Rule

The Iranian judiciary in Qom has sentenced a poor father of three children to 10 months of prison and 40 lashes for stealing three packs of cashew nuts.

The state-run news agency Fars wrote: “Following the publication of a judge’s sentence for the burglar of three packs of cashew nuts – a heavy sentence of 10 months’ imprisonment and 40 lashes – Fars’ reporter followed up the story from the relevant authorities and determined that the news was true and was not fake news.” (Fars, October 25, 2021)

This cruel sentence faced public anger and was widely reflected in social media. Many people have compared the tragic story of this poor man to the story of the poor man in Victor Hugo’s famous novel ‘Les Misérables.’

In that story, the poor man, Jean Valjean, had broken the door of a bakery and picked up some bread to feed his sister and her children, and the government arrested him for robbery and sentenced him to s lengthy prison term.

Now, in a situation where the Iranian officials and their associates loot billions of dollars from the people and the country’s wealth, Iran’s judiciary is sentencing a poor father in such a way that even the state media were not able to defend such a decision.

This is just an example of much of the dark poverty that the regime has imposed on the people. Even according to the regime’s unreliable statistics, “40 million people need urgent support.” (State-run website Bahar News, October 25, 2021)

According to one of these statistics, about eight people in Iran fall below the absolute poverty line every minute, which is what the Asr-e-Iran state-run website quoted the Ministry of Welfare as saying, “If the name of this is not a ‘catastrophe‘ and the authorities’ silence on it is not a ‘shame’, then what is it?”

This outlet described people who have gone below the absolute poverty line as those whose “incomes only suffice for the extremely low minimum” and said that “more than a third of Iranians, (live) not in poverty, but in absolute poverty. According to the shocking report published recently, the number of people below the absolute poverty line up to a year ago was 26 million, and in the last year, another 4 million have fallen below the absolute poverty line so that the number has reached 30 million.” (State-run website Asr-e-Iran, October 24, 2021)

Regarding the catastrophic situation of people’s lives and the spread of poverty among them, Sharq newspaper, on October 25, 2021, wrote, “Whenever it is not possible to provide the facilities for an honorable and growing life, and employment becomes a commodity that is hard to achieve, the provision of proper food and treatment becomes vulnerable to the aspirations of vulnerable households.”

One of the main problems is that most of the country’s economy is in the hands of the government, the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), and the supreme leader’s office, which has left nothing for the people.

The regime’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf in this regard said: “With an 80% state-run economy and all these problems, we haven’t been able to perform well in explaining[these problems].” (State-run news agency Fars, October 25, 2021)

Earlier in 2014, Mohsen Safai Farahani, economy deputy minister in the government of Mohammad Khatami, said, “In the country today, about 120 institutions, various organizations, and foundations have a very broad economic activity while there is absolutely no proper control over their performance. Currently, nearly 50 percent of Iran’s GDP is at the disposal of these institutions.” (State-run Khabar Online, June 9, 2014)

The grip of these governmental institutions on the wealth of the poor and hungry people of Iran is while the smallest demands of the people are responded to with brutal repression by the regime.

Iranians Don’t Buy Officials’ Publicity Stunts

Sia Rajabi
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Iranians Don’t Buy Officials’ Publicity Stunts

Studying Iran’s rising social situation since the 2009 uprising draws our attention to important achievements.

During this period, several nationwide uprisings have occurred: December 2009, December-January 2017-2018, November 2019, in addition to these important uprisings, other important protests have occurred whose importance is not less than these three nationwide uprisings, such as the Saravan uprising and the Khuzestan uprising.

In a general view of the curve of this series of uprisings, Iran watchers have come to a few conclusions:

In this series of nationwide uprisings and other small protests executed by different strata, the goals of these movements were livelihood issues or due to the outcome of the elections, but all of them changed their paths from such demands to calls for the mullahs’ overthrow and regime change.

Precisely said, the people have targeted the regime’s head, the supreme leader, and his repressive force, the Revolutionary Guards, and the regime’s infamous Ministry of Intelligence (MOIS).

The shared characteristic of all of them was their fast expansion from limited places and classes to the entire nation all over the country. Contrary to what the regime has tried to show these protests are ethnic. This shows that Iran’s people are deeply political, and their struggle is political and not just over economic and livelihood demands.

The government has answered all the protests with force, torture and executions, and the blockage of the Internet and other public information utilities.

The other thing that has changed over time is that the protests have become more organized and as we have witnessed in the November 2019 protests, despite its expansion none of the people’s private properties and other centers like supermarkets were attacked or destroyed and the only places which were attacked were the regime’s bases, stations, and organization buildings. This is something that the regime fears most because it is showing that the people are seeking the regime’s fall, despite being hungry and poor.

One of the achievements of these protests is the forcing of the regime to remove its deceptive mask of tolerating a reformist opposition in selecting one of the most notorious persons in Iran, Ebrahim Raisi, notorious as the ‘butcher of Tehran,’ as the regime’s president.

This is a crystal-clear sign that the regime is on the path of its fall, having no other choice than to prepare for the final confrontation with the people.

The state-run daily Shargh collected all the regime’s factions under the ‘believers of the Islamic Republic’ and confessed that none of them has the power to make any changes and wrote about them:

“The proximity of domestic criticizers to the country’s political and economic issues and awareness of people’s demands have given them the belief that by compensating their past mistakes, they can be again the voice of the people.”

This paper has an interesting opinion about the leading faction which are the principlists tied with the supreme leader:

“In the vacuum between these movements, the principlists, who, with their free wings and self-confidence derived from state and parliamentary power, think they can stabilize the situation and are consolidating their positions by eliminating rivals and opponents and by kicking them out, and with political and social restrictions and relying on the fact that in the absence of hegemony they can persuade the people with authority. More than wanting to be the voice of the people, they are trying to create ways to control the people.”

In the 2021 presidential elections, the people demonstrated to the regime that they had passed all the government’s struggles regarding the consolidation of the status quo and were in the spectrum of the supporters of the regime change. This path will become more evident over time.

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