IRGC Offers Incentives To Iranians To Populate Persian Gulf Islands

Moeinoddin (Moein al-Din) Saeedi accused Russia on Monday of endangering Iranian national interests more than any other country, while expressing concerns about the significant challenges Iran faces in the Caspian Sea due to Russia's dam construction projects.

"One of the most recent examples is the ongoing situation regarding the Caspian Sea's water entrance," he pointed out, referring to the declining water levels in the Caspian Sea, which endanger fragile ecosystems dependent on its waters.

Last month, the head of Iran's Department of Environment, Ali Salajegheh, attributed the crisis to the closure of vital access points to the Caspian Sea, with particular emphasis on the closure of the Volga River by Russia. Salajegheh voiced his apprehensions, stating, "Neighboring countries have closed off access to the Caspian Sea, especially the Volga River entrance. This has resulted in a significant drop in the sea's water levels, presenting a severe ecological challenge."

The Iranian official further detailed the severity of the issue, highlighting, "The Caspian Sea's water level has steadily decreased, with alarming statistics indicating a reduction of approximately one meter over the past 4-5 years. On average, the sea recedes by 20 centimeters annually."

It is a rare outburst against one of Iran's strongest allies, the two sanctioned countries working hand in hand on the likes of missile and drone production, and Iran providing Russia with drones used against civilian targets in Ukraine.

According to the latest report from ISC, the point-to-point inflation rate is approximately 40 percent, signifying that Iranian households now spend 40 percent more on purchasing an "identical set of goods and services" compared to September 2022.

In the absence of credible data from the Central Bank of Iran regarding inflation rates, Iran's Statistical Center has become the primary official entity for announcing these figures. Government officials and, at times, the central bank tend to announce lower inflation figures prices for consumer goods. The central bank, along with the Ministry of the Economy, ceased issuing regular economic data in 2019 when US sanctions that pushed an already struggling economy into a deep recession.

Although Iran's Statistics Center is administered and funded by the government and operates under the umbrella of Planning and Budget Organization, it has maintained a veneer of credibility as one of the very scarce sources of data – both economic and social. However, it has recently faced pressure from the regime to release figures in line with the government's propaganda. In July, President Ebrahim Raisi sacked the head of Iran's Statistics Center.

Despite the regime's claims of increased crude oil sales and the positive impact of releasing Iran's revenues from Iraq and South Korea, which were blocked under US sanctions, economic hardships continue to pressure Iranians. The purchasing power of the average household in Iran has significantly decreased in recent years, with the highest price hikes affecting food items. Meat, once the primary source of protein for wage earners in Iran, was initially replaced by chicken, and more recently by eggs. 

Approximately a year ago, Iran's rial was trading at around 300,000 per US dollar, but in early May, it dropped to as low as 550,000. Currently, it stands above 490,000. This drastic devaluation of the rial illustrates the severity of inflation in Iran. In July, a lawmaker stated that the annual inflation rate was 120 percent, contradicting the 60 or 70 percent figures cited by various politicians and academics. According to World Bank figures from June, Iran's food inflation rate stood at 78 percent.

The head of Tehran's Supermarkets Union said last week that "people's purchasing power has declined by more than 50% compared to the same period last year, disrupting the supply chain in the market." Davoud Fekouri had to refute his earlier claims in an interview with the state news agency IRNA. In his Monday interview, he was apparently forced to say that supermarket sales have decreased insignificantly and claimed that “it was primarily due to rising prices of certain food items, such as pasta, dairy products, tomato paste, canned fish, and others." 

According to data by SCI, over a 10-year period from 2011 to 2021, per capita consumption of rice and red meat decreased by 20.5 percent and 54 percent, respectively. Moreover, per capita consumption of milk and dairy products dropped by 13.4 percent, and per capita consumption of fish and shrimp halved. 

Lawmaker Abbas Moghtadaei Khourasgani claimed on Monday that US measures such as sanctions and freezing Iranian funds abroad have “failed miserably,” and people will feel the positive impact of the government’s policies in the near future. “Unfreezing Iran’s assets is among the very positive endeavors of the current administration that will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the people's well-being,” he said, adding that the released funds will help control the market and the devaluation of rial. In the past few days, rial’s exchange rate has fallen against the dollar, albeit insignificantly.

However, the release of Iran’s money from Iraqi banks -- that apparently started in June -- and its $6 billion in oil revenues from South Korea earlier this month as well as a rise in oil exports have so far failed to make a dent in the adversity people face. 

Network traffic data revealed a significant disruption in internet connectivity in Iran, marking the third such incident this month. According to NetBlocks, the disruption occurred at 1:00 AM local time and resulted in connectivity dropping to 82% of its usual levels.

The development coincides with an unusual event in Khorramabad, western Iran, where a powerful tremor accompanied by a loud noise occurred on Monday night. Local authorities have been unable to identify the source of the disturbance, and Iranian media and officials have provided vague and contradictory statements about the incident. While there have been no reports of visible damage or civilian casualties, officials are conducting an investigation.

Markedly, there is a presence of an underground IRGC ballistic missile base near Khorramabad, a fact that has raised eyebrows among observers and independent media outside Iran.

Earlier this month, in the lead-up to the death anniversary of Mahsa Amini, Iran experienced a significant disruption to its internet services for two consecutive nights, with connectivity plummeting to 71% of its normal levels.

The incident highlights Iran's long-standing practice of imposing strict censorship on internet access, limiting citizens' access to information by blocking various foreign and domestic websites, including reputable news sources. However, the restrictions have been circumvented by the widespread use of Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) and anti-filtering software.

The Saudi-led military alliance condemned the attack and said it followed other hostile actions by the group, including an attack on a power distribution unit and a police station near the border, said a statement from coalition spokesperson General Turki al-Malki.

BNA, citing a statement from the Bahraini army, said an officer and a soldier were killed.

There was no immediate comment from the Iran-backed Houthi movement. Iran and Saudi Arabia restored relations earlier this year in a move seen as increasing the chances for a peaceful solution to the conflict in Yemen.

The incident represented a major escalation after more than a year of a relative calm in Yemen as peace efforts gain momentum. It could jeopardize talks between Saudi and Houthi officials who have just held another round of negotiations on a potential agreement towards an end to the conflict in Yemen.

"Such repeated hostile and provocative actions are not consistent with the positive efforts that are being made to seek an end to the crisis and reach a comprehensive political solution," the coalition statement said, adding that it reserves the right to respond at the appropriate time and place.

Last week, the Saudi government welcomed what it described as "positive results" from the first direct talks it had with leading Houthi officials over five days in Riyadh.

The U.S. Embassy in Bahrain sent a message of condolence to the families of those killed and said it stood by its long-term ally.

Iranian media and officials are buzzing with vague and contradictory statements about the 'terrible sound,' which has apparently not resulted in any visible damage to urban areas or civilian casualties.

One thing which local and central officials emphasize is that no “earthquake or explosion” took place in the city, and they are investigating the incident.

According to Iranian media and residents commenting on social media, the incident occurred around 10PM local time on Monday, when people heard the loud sound and felt the ground was shaking. In the first few hours, some government media in Iran called the incident “an earthquake” and headlined their news, “Khorramabad shook.”

Tasnim news agency affiliated with the Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) wrote: "The intense jolts, accompanied by a terrifying sound, caused tremors in parts of Khorramabad city, instilling fear and disrupting the nighttime tranquility of the people." Tasnim added that residents first thought an earthquake had happened, but as the seismological center in Tehran did not register a tremor, they began speculating about an explosion. However, hours later, state official began denying any earthquake or explosion.

Observers and independent media outside Iran began reminding the public that there is a large underground IRGC ballistic missile base near Khorramabad. One Iranian military blogger in Europe posted on social media saying that the incident was “a successful Israeli operation,” without citing his sources.

Since July 2020, Israel has launched successful sabotage and drone attacks against sensitive military and industrial targets in Iran, including at least three major operations that inflicted heavy damage on nuclear installations.

In April 2021, as world power began negotiation with Iran in Vienna to revive the 2015 JCPOA nuclear agreement, a huge explosion hit the underground Natanz uranium enrichment site in central Iran. This was the second destructive incident in less than a year, which wiped out a significant part of enrichment machines called centrifuges.

The Islamic Republic blamed Israel for these attacks, while successive Israeli governments have remained silent and never accepted responsibility. However, they have repeatedly warned that Israel will lose all resources, including military attack to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons.

Last week, another mysterious incident took place in northern Iran, when people in the city of Gorgan heard loud explosions and pieces of unidentified military objects fell on the city. Officials on that occasion also voiced contradictory statements. However, a deputy-governor in the province said that “a drone had crashed” and wounded two people.