Reporting by PMOI/MEK
Iran, September 22, 2019—Last Wednesday, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani’s administration published a report that claims increases in earnings of Iranian families have surpassed increasing living costs, putting ordinary Iranians in a better economic position, both in urban and rural areas.
The report and its statistics are so ridiculous that even state-run Iranian media have a hard time swallowing it.
The Siasat-e Rooz newspaper, close to the faction of Iranian regime President Hassan Rouhani, writes: “Over the past few days, a report was published about the survey of earnings and costs of urban and rural families in 2017-2018 that according to experts had strange results. According to this report, the survey shows that in 2017-2018, urban families had on average 43.4 million tomans in earnings and 39.3 millions tomans in costs. This is about an average of 3.6 million tomans in earnings per month and 3.3 millions tomans in costs.”
Now, according to this fake report, Iranian families could save an average of 4.2 million tomans per year, after covering all their basic costs and needs.
“These statistics are published while the Center for Statistics has repeatedly published reports about skyrocketing inflation in Iran’s economy, announcing it at 42.2 percent in for last month. This means that living costs have increased 42.2 percent over the past year!” the article adds.
A day after the fake report was published, the Arman newspaper, which should be supporting this report due to its close ties with Rouhani’s faction, wrote: “The poverty line threshold is three times above a worker’s minimum wage!”
Siasat-e Rooz further writes: “These claims are made while based on facts on the ground and the living basket of ordinary people shrinking with each passing day, especially because of unchecked rising costs for products like meat, poultry, dairy and rice.”
To outsiders, it may appear surprising or even dumb that the ruling mullahs in Iran don’t even wait until a little bit of time passes over their previous statements before making such ridiculous claims about their “prosperous economy.” After all, won’t that have a negative impact on their reputation and image among their base and ordinary Iranians?
Fact is that for many years now the vast majority of Iranians don’t listen and believe in any remarks of Iranian authorities. They know that these reports are fake, similar to their predecessors.
And the ruling elite knows that.
At least after the popular uprising in 2017, Iranian officials know very well that even their most fundamental and strategic scheme of pretending to divide the regime into two opposing camps of conservatives and “moderates” to channel Iranian people’s frustration inside the current system is not working anymore.
Ordinary Iranians don’t fall for this game anymore. Iranian protesters chanting, “Reformists, princapalists, Game Over!” has no other meaning.
