‌Iran’s State Media Reflect Society’s Restiveness and Regime’s Fear

Written by
Hamideh Taati

Iran regime’s newspapers

While referring to the Iranian people’s economic and social hardships, Iran’s state media warn the regime’s officials of their wrong policies. These reports reflect the mullahs’ utter fear of the society’s restiveness, the regime’s international isolation, and a looming uprising.

The Hamshahri daily, in an article on Thursday, referred to the consequences of social hardships and the regime’s inaction domestically, particularly the mullahs’ warmongering policies and wasting national wealth for them. “They [regime’s officials] know everything, but their sensitivity about what threatens the system is far more than their sensitivity of what endangers people’s lives and belongings. They know what is happening, but since preserving the system’s security is very clear for officials, they not only increase the country’s military power but to defend the system, they identify the ‘strategic depth,’ and take necessary steps [to preserve it],” read the article.

“The question is if this strategic depth had no effects in preserving the system’s security and its survival, and instead had some benefits for the people, would [the regime’s officials] have tried for its creation? It is fair to say no. No, they would not have paid such a huge cost for its creation and its heavy economic consequences due to the enemies’ pressures. So, if they [regime’s officials] had not created this strategic depth, fewer students would drop out of school because of poverty. Fewer patients would now be in the queues to buy medicine. Single or married women would be less likely to turn to prostitution because of poverty, and fewer heads of households would wish to commit suicide because of their inability to feed their children.”

All the while, Iran’s people are grappling with poverty and now the COVID-19 crisis and its rising death toll. In this regard, the state-run Mardom Salari on Thursday wrote: “At present, the cost of living for a working family of three in big cities has reached 9 million tomans. The living expenses do not correspond to the wages of 2.6 million tomans of workers, and they are faced with a difference of at least 5 million tomans between wages and costs during the month. Thus, their salaries do not even cover 10 days of their lives.”

Now in this regard, the state-run Ebtekar, while calling people’s increasing hatred of the regime “mistrust,” on Thursday wrote: “For a long time, it has been difficult to listen to the speeches of many officials of the country without biting lips [out of anger] or saying words and sentences in opposition to their words.”

While referring to the COVID-19 crisis and admitting to the regime’s inaction, which has increased the death and infection rate, Ebtekar mocked the recent speech of the regime’s president Hassan Rouhani, praising the regime’s action in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak.

“When Mr. Rouhani says: ‘Our success in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak is comparable to those of the developed countries,’ is he aware that the people, unlike the President, have not been barred from attending the parliament and the reopening ceremonies of schools and universities, etc., and are now experiencing the third growing wave of the coronavirus outbreak? All the while, many countries record low and even zero COVID-19 casualties?”

This state-run daily then acknowledges that people’s economic grievances and now the coronavirus crisis are the direct results of the regime’s corruption, rather than international sanctions. “When people’s living conditions do not improve not only because of the coronavirus but also because of the economic situation – which, even if part of it is due to sanctions, the other part is the result of years of wrong policies and corruption – they are expected to believe [Rouhani’s remarks]?” read the article.

The major Iran protests in November 2019 rattled the regime’s foundations. The regime has not been able to quell the restive society by killing 1500 protesters, or the continuous execution of arrested protesters such as Navid Afkari.

These protests initially erupted due to the economic hardships. Now the state-run media warn of another uprising due to the regime’s wrong policies.

To this end, the state-run Hamshari daily, in an article on September 21, while quoting Gholam-Reza Meshbahi Moqadam, a member of the regime’s Expediency Council, wrote: “The fact is that I am concerned about the social repercussions of this economic situation because it is shaped in a way that is difficult for the general public to tolerate. The government is taking actions that are making the situation worse.”

 

‌Iran’s State Media Reflect Society’s Restiveness and Regime’s Fear

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