By POOYA STONE
On a recent trip to Qom province, the Iranian regime’s president Ebrahim Raisi claimed that the decisions made by his government have led to a decrease in Iran’s inflation rates. However, not even the regime’s officials and Iran’s state media are falling for his lies as they refute and mock the claims.
Former Iranian MP, Mohammad Reza Kabaz stated, “One of the problems with the system is that our officials don’t claim responsibility for their statements.”
In reflection of Raisi’s first hundred days as the regime’s president, the state-run Eghtesad-e Puya media outlet noted that the economic situation in Iran ‘has worsened to the point that people are sleeping in buses because they can’t pay the rent’.
The Hamdeli newspaper reported on the declining economic situation, stating that Iran’s inflation rate has already exceeded 45 percent. With the minimum expenditures of Iranian families reaching 115 million rials, the salaries of workers only equate to between a third and half the costs of living, leaving many families forced to live below the poverty line.
In a quote from the Kar Va Kargar website regarding the recently announced 2022-2023 government budget, it stated, “The budget for next year will result in more poverty for the people.”
At the same time, the Emrooz website predicted that Raisi’s administration will likely raise more taxes to try to cover up further budget deficits.
The Mardom Salari newspaper wrote that even though Raisi has reportedly promised that he will bring Iran’s inflation rates down to a single digit, experts have warned that because the ‘economic meltdown’ is so severe, “the continued trend is indicating that the government is reaching the end of its honeymoon.”
On the other hand, different experts and officials are warning about poverty, hunger, and the critical situation of life for millions of people across Iran.
Every day, the state media publish articles regarding the tragic living conditions of Iranians struggling to survive. The stories range from people living in buses to women having to sell their hair to make what little money they can to help support their families, and most common is the plight of workers across the country who are protesting for their most basic rights.
With the latter issue, the regime continues to refrain from addressing the demands of protesters, instead choosing to focus on its bid to repress unrest at all costs. As seen in this year’s budget bill, a large chunk of the budget has been allocated to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), raising their budget by 240 percent. The IRGC has long been involved in assisting the regime in cracking down on dissent and unrest and this latest boost of financial support for them will only embolden them to continue fighting against the Iranian people on behalf of the mullahs.
The situation is so severe within the regime itself that members of the Majlis (parliament) have admitted that the regime is ‘facing serious challenges and have warned Raisi that the conditions of livelihoods within Iranian society ‘are turning into a serious problem’.
As has been in the past decades, the regime’s response has not been to address the people’s needs but to suppress them with violence. But suppression and violence are proving to be more and more futile against an outraged society that has nothing to lose but poverty and tyranny.
This article was first published by iranfocus
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