Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, December 15, 2020—While in many countries, the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna corona vaccines have received the green light, the Iranian people are still faced with mullahs’ inhuman policies and negligence and are still among the most vulnerable Covid-19 victims in the world.
Popular demands for the vaccines have been raised and some officials and the state-run media expressed concerns.
“The distribution of coronavirus vaccines in various countries has raised a serious popular demand in Iran for vaccination. The people ask, why cannot a rich country such as Iran, with so much oil reserves, import coronavirus vaccines?” wrote the state-run Aftab Yazd on December 8. The outlet further warned, “If the establishment does not handle this problem, it will have a negative impact in the society.
Iranian regime’s President Hassan Rouhani claimed that “every necessary action has been taken” to prevent the “negative impact in the society.” He even promised a domestic vaccine.
The state TV announced the arrival of the Iranian vaccine by summer of 2021. This promise is so vague and unrealistic that even the regime’s own media and experts are refuting it.
“When the people of Iran see that in many countries, including neighboring countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan, the virus has subsided because of the use of vaccines from reputable companies, they will undoubtedly protest,” wrote the state-run daily Hamdelli on December 12.
Deputy health minister Iraj Harirchi said on Sunday, “We ourselves will inject the coronavirus vaccine in front of cameras. Officials and the head of the Order of Khomeini Foundation will be the first to take the Covid-19 shot. We must note that if there’s no trust, none of these measures will be effective.” Harirchi, whose comments were reported by the state-run Etemad Online, expressed concern about the disclosures made by the People's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI/MEK) and said, “… some will claim that regime officials have injected foreign vaccines or have injected water.”
Regime officials have resorted to every possible excuse to justify their own inefficiency in dealing with the pandemic. Abdolnaser Hemmati, governor of Iran’s Central Bank, claimed on December 7 that payments for coronavirus vaccines have been blocked by U.S. sanctions and the need to obtain licenses from the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). But this turned out to be a hoax, and the WHO-led COVAX organization announced that Iran faces no legal and judicial obstacle from the U.S. to buy vaccines.
Keyhan Azadmanesh, the CEO of the company who claims to have created the Iranian Covid-19 vaccine, acknowledged that even if the regime manages to create vaccines, the “non-transparent economy” will pose obstacles. This is referred to as the deep-rooted corruption of mullahs’ establishment that makes it impossible to plan how much medicine is needed to produce and at what price.
Even if a vaccine is created per the regime’s schedule, the main question that remains is why should the people of Iran wait until summer 2021 while the world has begun the coronavirus vaccination? And why should this happen while Iran faces one of the worst Covid-19 crises in the world?
In this regard the state-run daily Hokoumat wrote, “In recent weeks many Covid-19 patients have left their quarantines because they are forced to go back to work to earn their livelihood. With this situation we will be stuck with the virus for another two years.”
The root of the problem
While the social demand for a valid vaccine is becoming more serious every day, the regime tries to mislead the people and create a wrong atmosphere. But why?
In all countries, the first priority is to provide vaccines and vaccination to all people. This needs a budget, good management, and a mobilizing of all facilities. But none of these things exist within the corrupt clerical regime. It is clear that regime has no intention to take care of people’s health and provide vaccines.
The regime has plundered the Iranian people’s wealth and resources and spent it on terrorism and missile and nuclear ambitions. Therefore, the regime is unable to prepare the special conditions for general vaccination.
While the Iranian people see that the world has entered the phase of overcoming the Covid-19 by general vaccination, they also have the right to demand it. The mullahs’ regime lacks the will to respond and according to some officials, this is a dangerous situation.
In this regard, Mohammad Reza Mahboubfar, a member of the Corona Virus Taskforce warned that “If the other countries start the vaccination while we are still waiting, society’s tolerance will end.”
