In a carefully orchestrated meeting with media representatives, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, Speaker of the regime’s Parliament, faced questions about Iran’s growing social and economic crises. While state-affiliated media figures raised concerns about the country’s deteriorating conditions, the session primarily served as a controlled effort to frame decades of governance failures as abstract and collective rather than directly tied to the regime’s policies.
During the meeting, Ghalibaf acknowledged public frustration but avoided direct responsibility. “We must acknowledge the importance of media in reflecting the realities of society,” he stated, promising regular dialogues with media managers. However, his remarks offered no meaningful solutions, emphasizing vague commitments instead.
The editor-in-chief of the state-run Ruydad24 website, Mohammad Heydari raised the issue of widespread public anger and depression, framing it as a product of poor governance and systemic failures. “The country is standing on the edge of a precipice, where even a small push—like a sliding grain of sand—could lead to collapse,” Heydari said. While his comments acknowledged mismanagement, they avoided challenging the core structure of the regime or its ultimate leadership.
#Iranian Regime Faces Mounting Economic Crisis as Lawmakers and #Media Sound Alarmhttps://t.co/Y8ckE5PgfK
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) November 27, 2024
The statistics presented, many of which originate from state-controlled sources, highlighted the devastating impact of years of mismanagement. Heydari cited figures showing a 344-fold increase in housing prices over the past three decades and a rise in the poverty rate from 22% to 38% between 2016 and 2020. However, the credibility of such figures remains questionable given the regime’s history of manipulating data to serve its narrative. For example, real figures on unemployment and inflation are widely believed to be much worse than official reports suggest, and many suspect the regime is downplaying the extent of the country’s economic collapse.
Ghalibaf avoided engaging with specific questions, including Heydari’s direct challenge: “What is your share in preventing this imminent collapse?” Instead, the Speaker deflected by emphasizing general themes of unity and governance improvement. “The role of decision-makers, both in agreement and in opposition, must be directed toward national solidarity,” he said, sidestepping the systemic corruption and policy failures that have fueled the current crises.
Even as the regime tries to present itself as introspective, its actions betray a fear of mounting public anger. According to Heydari, 60% of Iranians—roughly 48 million people—wish to leave the country, a figure he said reflects desperation rather than ambition. “The motivation for migration is no longer seeking better opportunities but escaping a sinking ship,” Heydari noted.
#IranProtests Spread Nationwide as Economic Grievances Escalatehttps://t.co/3uDNBy7vQF
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) November 28, 2024
Addiction rates have also surged, with figures suggesting that 22% of workers and 14.8% of university students now suffer from substance abuse. Among teenagers, addiction rates have quadrupled over the past two decades, a phenomenon linked not only to despair but also to the worsening economic conditions forcing young people into precarious labor or unemployment.
The controlled nature of the meeting, coupled with the regime’s known track record of data manipulation, reinforces skepticism about the transparency of these discussions. By framing the issue as collective governance failures, the regime seeks to spread accountability rather than address the systemic issues that lie at the heart of Iran’s crises. Ghalibaf’s vague reassurances reflect a state unwilling to engage with the fundamental realities of its role in driving the country toward collapse.
