The Iranian regime’s insatiable thirst to acquire a nuclear bomb has led to Iran’s economy being subjected to sanctions. It should be emphasized that the regime needs the nuclear bomb to ensure its survival as it has minimal social support.
However, Khamenei has inflicted the effects and consequences of these sanctions on the Iranian people. Over the past ten years, housing prices have increased nearly 15 times, the dollar exchange rate has risen nearly 18 times, and food prices have increased similarly. From March 2022 to April 2024, the price of the dollar in the Iranian market increased by 245 percent, which means it nearly tripled. Since the prices of all goods and services are influenced by the dollar rate, over the two-year period, prices have increased by at least 3.5 times. These numbers have created such terrifying inflation that over 80 percent of the Iranian people are now living below the poverty line.
On the other hand, if we look at the list of embezzlements and thefts by the regime over these years, it is staggering. Examples include the “Debsh Tea” scandal, the 920 trillion rial embezzlement in Mobarakeh Steel Company, the 170 trillion rial theft in Tehran Municipality, Alireza Zakani’s $2 billion corruption case in the purchase of electric buses from China, and an endless list of thefts.
This means that while there is money and resources for themselves, when it comes to the people, they must suffer hunger to the extent that they cannot even meet their basic caloric needs.
Meanwhile, the policy of appeasement has also come to the regime’s aid, loosening the sanctions so that the regime can have substantial income. U.S. Senator Ted Cruz, during a hearing with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said, “By refusing to enforce oil sanctions, we have seen Iran’s oil sales go from 300,000 barrels a day when you got into office to 2 million barrels a day—that’s $80 billion.”
Since coming to power, the clerical regime has not been able to modernize its air fleet. Regarding passenger airplanes, the average age of the regime’s passenger fleet is about 28 years, which is more than double the global average.
In terms of military equipment: According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, Iran’s conventional forces face the issue of increasingly outdated equipment, and the presence of old equipment is particularly prominent in the country’s air force.
One of the pieces of equipment the regime has is the Bell 212 helicopters, which were made in the 1960s by the United States. These are helicopters with a good safety record, but the maintenance and updating of this equipment is a very important factor.
According to Cirium data, the Iranian regime has 62 active Bell helicopters, including 13 Bell 212s. This is the same type of helicopter in which Raisi crashed and met his end.
Javad Zarif, the former foreign minister of the regime, blamed U.S. sanctions for the recent incident and the death of Raisi. He said, “These events will be recorded in the list of America’s crimes.”
Indeed, Khamenei cannot recklessly pursue a nuclear bomb and inflict all the consequent sanctions on the Iranian people without facing repercussions himself.