Iran’s state-run outlets have tried to hide the country’s socio-economic crises and their government’s global stalemate and isolation as the world’s attention is focused on the U.S. and France. But the crisis of the coronavirus in Iran, along with the waves of inflation and high prices, indicates the situation of the crisis of the government.
The dimensions of the bankruptcy of the system and the explosive atmosphere of the society are such that in every field, government experts are forced to acknowledge this explosive atmosphere and the unfillable gap between the people and the system.
The state-run daily Setareh-e-Sobh, quoting Ali Bigdeli, an expert aligned with President Hassan Rouhani’s faction, while examining the effects of the U.S. election on the government.
“It is necessary to change Iran’s strategy at the domestic, regional, and international levels; Because the situation is such that there is no other way. Because these conflicts and hostilities have made the situation unbearable for the people,” the daily wrote on October 31.
The Etemad daily, quoted Saeed Leylaz, an economist and political analyst while examining Iran’s internet filtering. “With the implementation of filtering, a sense of distrust has been created in the society so that the degree of public trust in the government, the government and the official media of the country has reached the lowest possible level after the revolution,” Etemad wrote on October 31.
The Arman daily, without any interpretation, gave a clear picture of the exploding society. “A telegram channel with 140,000 members advertises the sale of kidneys and liver, and liver is priced at 2 billion rials [$6,666] and kidneys from 1-1.5 billion rials [$3,333-5,000],” Arman wrote on October 31.
“Examining the statistics also gives the right to tens of thousands of people who have no choice but to sell their kidneys and livers, an issue that, with the outbreak of the coronavirus in Iran, like gasoline on the fire, ignited the flames and made inflation more difficult for them,” Arman added.
Setareh-e-Sobh daily, in fear of economic suffocation, global isolation, and social upheaval warned officials and stressed the need for a retreat. “If [U.S. President Donald] Trump wins, it should be not said that we will not negotiate with a ‘knife-wielder’. It does not matter if the other party is a knife wielder or a politician,” the daily wrote on October 31.
Shargh daily, quoting Mohsen Mirdamadi, former head of the Security Commission of Iran’s parliament, wrote about the explosive atmosphere of the society and the necessity of negotiations.
“It should be noted that the economic pressure on the people is now such that decision-makers cannot and should not be indifferent to it. The current situation is not sustainable. Referral of problems abroad is not a matter of convincing people and creating persuasion. A solution must be found. One of the methods is secret diplomacy. Similar to what happened at the end of [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad’s presidency and negotiations with the United States began under [President Barack] Obama,” Shargh wrote on October 31.
The Hamdeli daily, referring to the family of Iranian asylum seekers who drowned in the English Channel, highlighted an aspect of the establishment’s internal isolation and the people’s hatred of the government.
“Let us admit that all those who run away from the country may not all have political motives, but politics is the main factor. A policy that cannot organize the economy and take some to the sky overnight and bury others—which are much more. If a person or authority within the governing system wants to answer the question of why the Iranian people are fleeing, it is better, to consider the most pessimistic situation and to see all the motivations of the people trying to emigrate as political,” Hamdeli wrote on October 31.
