Iran International
An increasing number of Iranian politicians, media outlets, and senior clerics are voicing criticism of the government's handling of the country's worsening economic crisis.
With inflation expected to surpass 50%, the Iranian people are facing increasingly desperate conditions.
Referring to the hardships that many families are grappling with, Ayatollah Abdollah Javadi-Amoli warned that these problems could eventually lead to loss of faith in a meeting with the CEO of Iran’s National Bank (Bank Melli Iran) earlier this week.
Emphasizing the importance of Islam, he stated, “Religion will be wrecked if the economy cannot satisfy [the needs of the] people…After religious matters, money and wealth are what matters the most in the country.”
As a former member of the Expediency Council and a "marja" – a high-ranking religious authority in Shia Islam with many followers – Javadi-Amoli's views are considered significant. Government officials often visit him for both religious and political guidance, reflecting his continued influence.
An official from the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development stated on Saturday that Iranians in the lowest six percentiles cannot afford to buy a house, and that even renting is unaffordable for those in the lowest four percentiles.
“We are facing people who cannot even afford maintenance costs even if we provide their housing,” Naser Rezaei, deputy director of New Towns Development Company of the ministry said.
Iranian media, including some conservative outlets, are increasingly critical of the government's failure to control inflation and prevent the depreciation of the national currency. They also point to ambiguous and often contradictory regulations that enable corruption in the sector.
According to the conservative Khorasan newspaper, for instance, the prices of various legumes, an important item in the Iranian diet, have increased by 30%, red meat by 25%, and rice, also a staple, by 10%.
The newspaper contended that the rise in food prices is not related to increased demand during the month of Ramadan or the conflict with Israel, as officials often claim. Instead, it argued that the increase occurred before these events and is solely the result of government policies.
“The government's economic team is weak, but the weakest of all is the government's economic management,” lawmaker Jalil Rahimi-Jahanabadi, one of the few so-called reformists in the soon-to-be outgoing parliament, told Khabar Online.
Rahimi-Jahanabadi, who is also a member of the parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, argued that while there may be experienced officials at the first deputy and minister levels, the government lacks an "economic commander." He noted that President Ebrahim Raisi, coming from a judiciary background, has no experience in economic matters.
Recently, discussions have predominantly focused on the ongoing and significant friction between the Minister of Economy, Ehsan Khandouzi, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran, Mohammadreza Farzin.
The stark differences in the policies of the two economic bodies, which have recently become more publicly known, have, many say, nearly paralyzed the government's economic apparatus.
Despite the evident issues, the government continues to assert that its economic bodies have made significant progress and denies any problems.
Sepehr Khalaji, head of the government’s information council, stated on Wednesday that there are no plans to make changes to its economic structure.
On Saturday, the reformist Etemad Online published excerpts of an interview with former President Hassan Rouhani’s VP, Es’hagh Jahangiri, in which he criticized both the government and parliament for their economic policies and widespread corruption.
In the interview, conducted over a month ago, Jahangiri expressed his shame over the fact that regional countries, which he said were once less developed than Iran, have now become the benchmark for comparison among Iranians.
“They once compared themselves with Europeans, well, if not Europe but at least Japan and [South] Korea,” he said.
In response to Iran’s attack on Israel this month, Josep Borrell said new measures are being leveled against Tehran, which include expanding existing sanctions regimes related to drones and missiles, as well as extending these measures to Iran-affiliated groups in the Middle East.
The EU has not designated the IRGC as a terrorist organization, despite calls to do so and a resolution by the European Parliament last year voting to that effect.
Arguing that the bloc has already listed Tehran’s paramilitary force under the “Iran Weapons of Mass Destruction” sanctions’ regime, Borrell said that “listing this organization as a ‘terrorist organization’ would have no practical effect.”
In response to Borrell’s argument that the legal grounds for the listing have not been met, Charlie Weimers, a Swedish representative, called the EU chief “a liar.”
“That is nonsense. Here, I have the council's secret legal opinion. Nowhere in this document does it say that it has to be an authority in the EU…“You know that. You knew the truth. You shamelessly lied to protect the IRGC. We won't miss you, Mr. Borrell, but I'm sure the mullahs will,” Weimers stated.
German MEP Hannah Neumann, who has long argued for the designation of the IRGC, said: “What more does this regime have to do until you finally wake up to the harsh realities? The IRGC is a terror organization…The drones and missiles attacking Israel and attacking our ships in the Red Sea are manufactured in Iran, and we should have sanctioned all those involved months ago.”
“And last but not least, the regime is not legitimately representing the people of Iran, and you should stop pretending it would,” Neumann added, directly addressing Borell.
Several MEPs and activists have taken steps to prepare the groundwork for the EU to act on calls to list the IRGC as a terror organization.
Last July, two MEPs stated that the IRGC could be listed without any legal obstacles under Article 1(4) of the "Common Position 2001/931/CFSP."
This point of view was also espoused by Iran's exiled prince Reza Pahlavi, citing a group of French-Iranian lawyers who held the view that the European Union does not have any legal obstacles to blacklisting the Revolutionary Guards.