(Video) Raisi’s preposterous claims about Iran’s economy
Ebrahim Raisi held a press conference on August 29, that was riddled with a series of lies and claims. The regime’s skyrocketing budget deficit was estimated at three quadrillion rials when Raisi took office It is now more than doubled (around $23.6 billion).
“We have resolved the budget deficit without resorting to printing new currency,” Raisi claimed. But Abdolnasser Hemmati, former chair of the regime’s Central Bank, in an interview on May 8, dubbed the Raisi government as the “Sultan of Money Printing!”
Iran’s water crisis has placed the country in such grave circumstances that a simple look at footage posted by activists on social media easily proves Raisi is lying. Even the regime’s own officials and state media acknowledge this ongoing catastrophe.
The country’s critical circumstances, and the regime’s incompetence in addressing any of the population’s basic needs, have rendered an utter failure of Khamenei’s Raisi initiative. There is a reality that people in Iran are chanting for regime change.
Ebrahim Raisi’s outlandish lies will only add fuel to the Iranian nation’s fire as they continue to bear the toll of backbreaking inflation, skyrocketing prices, and now severe water shortages, poverty, addiction, and an unprecedented daily execution.
The skyrocketing prices seen in Iran during the past 12 months paint a completely different picture. People can’t even afford their most basic needs.
The regime’s skyrocketing budget deficit was estimated at three quadrillion rials when Raisi took office in August 2020. It has now more than doubled to seven quadrillion rials (around $23.6 billion according to today’s exchange rate).
“We have resolved the budget deficit without resorting to printing new currency,” Raisi claimed. It is worth noting, however, that Abdolnaser Hemmati, former chair of the regime’s Central Bank, in an interview on May 8, dubbed the Raisi government as the “Sultan of Money Printing!”
State media have time and again reported about the Raisi administration’s unparalleled currency printing practices. On July 17, the state-run E’temad Online daily ran a piece titled “Unprecedented record of money printing and increasing government debt” and specifically said that “during the first nine months of Raisi’s tenure the budget deficit increased by 2.3 trillion rials.”
The regime’s “Daily Economic News” website also wrote “1.3 trillion rials in new currency has been distributed and the volume of currency in circulation has increased by 18 percent during Raisi’s first nine months in office,” describing this as an “unprecedented.”
The end result of this “unprecedented” money printing by Raisi is the unbridled escalation of inflation and skyrocketing prices of basic goods. However, Raisi is claiming that “inflation has decreased thanks to our administration’s measures and has reached around 35 percent!”
However, the skyrocketing prices seen in Iran during the past 12 months paint a completely different picture. People can’t even afford their most basic needs.
Even the regime’s own highly-controlled state media are acknowledging that “the country’s inflation rate reached 52.2 percent, meaning in comparison to August of 2021, Iranian families must spend 52.2 percent more for their basic goods and services,” according to the state-run IMNA news agency on August 27.
The semi-official ISNA news agency reported that inflation reached 54 percent in July, and Khabar Online reported on July 17: “Inflation in June passed 52 percent and registered an unprecedented record in the country’s economy.”
One of Raisi’s more absurd lies during his press conference was about Iran’s ongoing severe water shortage crisis. While people in hundreds of cities, towns, and villages across the country have been lacking running for weeks now, Raisi literally claimed the exact opposite.
“Today, we are hearing reports of water being provided in Ahvaz, and resolving the water shortage dilemma in Yazd, Isfahan, Hamadan and other areas is on this administration’s agenda,” he said.
Iran’s water crisis has placed the country in such grave circumstances that a simple look at footage posted by activists on social media easily proves Raisi is lying. Even the regime’s own officials and state media acknowledge this ongoing catastrophe.
“The water shortage in Khuzestan province has evolved into a challenge and a crisis,” said Ghasem Saedi, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament).
The governor of Kerman said his province “is facing a major challenge in the severe shortage of drinking and irrigation water. The deputy chief of the Water and Sewage Department in Razavi Khorasan province reported that 32 cities and 900 villages in this province are facing severe water shortages.
The state-run Emtedad website is reporting that “conditions in Hamedan are beyond a crisis” and “all of Hamedan has been without water for an ongoing period.”
Therefore, the question before is why did Raisi resort to such obvious lies?
The reason is nothing but the utter failure of the Iranian regime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei specifically appointing Raisi as the mullahs’ president.
Khamenei sought to have Raisi provide “populist” pledges during his first days and weeks in office in order to somewhat calm Iran’s already restive society.
The country’s critical circumstances, however, and the regime’s utter incompetence in addressing any of the population’s basic needs, have rendered an utter failure of Khamenei’s Raisi initiative.
There is also the undeniable reality that more people from all walks of life in Iran are chanting “Death to Raisi!” in their daily protests.
It goes without saying that, Ebrahim Raisi’s outlandish lies will only add fuel to the Iranian nation’s fire as they continue to bear the toll of backbreaking inflation, skyrocketing prices, and now severe water shortages, poverty, addiction, and unprecedented daily execution.
Shahin Gobadi
NCRI
+33 6 61 65 32 31
email us here
Iran’s Hamedan province has some of the largest natural water resources in the country Yet its people are faced with critical water shortages.
