Iran Regime’s Confession to Economic Corruption, Denying the Roots of Uprising
These days, the Iranian regime seems to be orchestrating a new show for the people of Iran. Hoping to calm the angry protesters, the Iranian authorities, including the ones at the very top, are pretending to be serious about the fight against corruption this time!
What will come out of their pretension?
This is definitely not the first time the regime claims to have fought against corruption, but considering the intensity of the protests this time and their clear danger for the regime’s existence, some of the most superior authorities (including those in the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial Branches) have decided to give out the impression to the outside observers that this time, their fight against economic corruption will be very serious; which of course, is absolutely absurd! Why do we sound so certain, you ask? Here’s why:
First off, as mentioned by some of the state-run newspapers in Iran, those who have “messed up the economy of the entire country” are “known figures”; meaning that they hold some of the highest positions in the system! From Khamenei and his supporters, to the three mentioned Branches (of Legislative, Executive, and Judicial) and the Parliament!
According to Keyhan Newspaper (5 August 2018): “The unbridled increase in dollar rate and its imbalance with Iran’s unstable economy makes no sense at all; so, the question our frustrated people are keep asking is who’s to blame?! The government? The Parliament? The Judicial Branch? They’re all partly responsible; however, pinpointing the exact individuals is not as easy as it seems. One thing for sure is that whoever they are, they have enough influence to stop the Ministry of Information from finding or arresting them all these years. Which explains the increasing rent-seeking and robbery witnessed in the first place”
Another state-run media named Shargh, also comments in this regard: “The faulty structure of this government is the reason why there’s a never-ending cycle of poverty and maldevelopment in our country; also the reason why many corrupted groups have gotten away with their crimes for so many years; who continue to make massive amounts of money via rent-seeking and other easy methods alike, and not through hard work or a legitimate innovation of some kind. The lack of an effective monitoring in place, does not help with this situation either”.
Therefore, it’s as clear as day that the recent claims of the regime are just as empty as the previous ones and will lead to nothing but another humiliation for itself. We can predict that the government may even go as far as actually arresting and executing the so-called roots of corruption, but we all know very well that the actual corrupted figures who happen to hold all the power in the country, will continue to remain safe behind the scenes.
Possibility of government’s interference in some protests:
It is quite possible that some of the regime’s secret forces may be amongst the rest of the protesters, perhaps trying to limit the slogans to purely economic ones; by keeping the focus on economy rather than politics, and by emphasizing the idea that People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) is the only one against the government, the regime may be wanting to cause a rift between protesters and supporting organisations.
The question is why haven’t mullahs managed to use their oppressive forces to stop the so-called “damaging” uprisings from spreading so rapidly, as observed over the past weeks?
The answer is, they have tried many times, but failed. Truth is, the anti-regime slogans that we’ve heard across all cities over time, represent the entire nation of Iran, and not just the PMOI; although, the PMOI has contributed significantly too.
The reason why PMOI has such great influence on many Iranians is because they too support the overthrown of the corrupt regime of mullahs, as made clear to the whole world as well.
Mohammad Sadat Khansari is a researcher analyst and consultant, specializing in Human Rights, political and social affairs. He has expertise in Iran, and the Middles East affairs.