Millions are living under the poverty line in Iran and so many are going hungry and getting ill with no hope of it letting up, so various state media outlets are warning that the legitimate anger this causes will result in a major uprising that will unseat the regime.
On August 18, the state-run Hamdeli daily noted that Iranians were poorer in 2019 than 2018, with their food rations decreasing by 4.5%.
In the piece, entitled “Iranians have lesser and less to eat”, the paper wrote: “Javad Hosseinzadegan, head of the Iran Customs Center, issued a report saying that in 2019 families suffered a 4.5 percent decrease in their spending. The country’s economic growth was calculated at negative seven percent and non-oil economic growth stood at negative six percent.”
It is no surprise that people have less to eat or that debt is increasing or that more people are being forced into the slums when you realize that the country’s economic output is decreasing so much that it’s negative, with some even describing this as the evaporation of the middle class.
This situation is even getting worse, given the coronavirus crisis and the sharp shock that sent to the economy, with over four-fifths of food items increasing in price in July, compared with the same period last year, some as much as 85%. Many workers are suffering from malnutrition because they cannot afford enough food. This may well lead to another uprising, as the rising cost of living did in 2017 and the gas price hike did in 2019.
Hamdeli wrote: “They always say that hungry people will pour into the streets. This means that poverty and hunger have the potential of leading to protests and massive unrest. Protests resulting from hunger have sparked many political developments and even revolutions… Many global events have started with protests due to hunger and led to further demands… Therefore, it is necessary that officials realize that the impact of poverty is nothing simple and they should not downsize such a threat.”
It’s far from the only paper voicing its concerns. The state-run Arman daily wrote about their concerns on July 13, saying that “extreme poverty” increased by 26% in the past year and that inflation was now reaching 50%.
They wrote: “This report forecasts unpleasant developments in the future that are beginning to take shape in the depth of our society. During the past year, the people’s economic difficulties have increased extensively… the pressures imposed through our monetary and financial policies, and economic mismanagement have all resulted in lesser and lesser people being able to experience any leisure and recreation.”
Source » iranfocus