{"id":216818,"date":"2020-04-20T13:58:22","date_gmt":"2020-04-20T12:58:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=216818"},"modified":"2023-01-23T15:46:43","modified_gmt":"2023-01-23T14:46:43","slug":"decrease-of-oil-production-and-revenues-a-crushing-blow-to-irans-regime-amid-coronavirus-outbreak","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/decrease-of-oil-production-and-revenues-a-crushing-blow-to-irans-regime-amid-coronavirus-outbreak\/","title":{"rendered":"Decrease of Oil Production and Revenues: A Crushing Blow to Iran\u2019s Regime Amid Coronavirus Outbreak"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Decrease
Iranian oil pier in Persian Gulf<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

According to the\u00a0<\/span>Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) monthly report published on April 17,\u00a0<\/span>Iran\u2019s crude oil production in\u00a0<\/span>March was<\/span>\u00a0just 2.18 million barrels per day (BDP), which\u00a0<\/span>is 52,000 barrels less than February.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The domestic need of crude oil in Iran is around 1.8 m<\/span>illion barrels, therefore the regime now has only around 200,000\u00a0<\/span>extra barrels to\u00a0<\/span>export.\u00a0<\/span>This is indeed a crushing blow to the regime\u2019s\u00a0<\/span>warmongering and oppression machine.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to the decrease of oil production,\u00a0<\/span>due to the current global economic situation affected by the\u00a0<\/span>pandemic, the oil prices have been\u00a0<\/span>fluctuating, preventing the Iranian regime\u00a0<\/span>from\u00a0<\/span>hav<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0steady and profitable\u00a0<\/span>revenue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Iranian regime\u2019s economy is very much dependent on oil and gas revenues. These revenues are only meant to fill<\/span>\u00a0the<\/span>\u00a0mullahs\u2019 pocket<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>fund their illicit activities.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

According to the information obtained by the\u00a0<\/span>People\u2019s Mojahedin Organization of Iran<\/span><\/a>\u00a0(PMOI\/MEK)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>from sources<\/span>\u00a0from within the<\/span>\u202fIslamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Quds Force<\/span><\/a>\u202fis continuing to transfer cash to Hezbollah in Lebanon. Part of the money is sent in the form of special packages and suitcases carried by the\u202f<\/span>Quds Force<\/span><\/a>\u2019s Intelligence Protection Officers in flights from Tehran to Lebanon.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When it comes to\u00a0<\/span>the Iranian\u00a0<\/span>people\u2019s situation,<\/span>\u00a0instead of helping<\/span>\u00a0them<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>amid<\/span>\u00a0the deadly coronavirus\u00a0<\/span>outbreak<\/span>, which\u00a0<\/span>according to the MEK\u00a0<\/span>has so far due to the regime\u2019s cover-up and inaction\u00a0<\/span>claimed over\u00a0<\/span>32,200<\/span><\/a>\u00a0lives across Iran, the regime\u00a0<\/span>has\u00a0<\/span>ordered\u00a0<\/span>the resu<\/span>mption<\/span>\u00a0of business\u00a0<\/span>activities.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>The\u00a0<\/span>Iranian regime has been plundering the national wealth to continue terrorism abroad and fund its oppressive forces inside Iran to somehow control the restive Iranian society.\u00a0<\/span>Now it has been trying to use\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>coronavirus as a lever of oppression.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Prior to sanctions, the Iranian regime exported 2 million barrels of\u202fcrude oil\u202fand more than half a million barrels of gas condensate a day.\u202f<\/span>According to K<\/span>e<\/span>pler, an international data intelligence company that \u201cprovides transparency solutions to commodity markets\u201d, Iran\u2019s crude oil exports in March were 144,000 BPD.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On Wednesday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) predicted that\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>Iranian regime\u2019s oil production would fall to 1<\/span>,860,000 BPD in 2020 and 1,810,000 BPD in 2021.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Meanwhile the regime\u2019s 2020 budget is based on oil and gas export. The regime\u2019s president Hassan Rouhani\u2019s government did not mention the oil sale figures in its 2020 budget, but the experts and state-run media talk about selling a million barrel of oils per day. Yet, due to severe sanctions on\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>regime for using oil export revenue to fund terrorism and oppression, in the most optimistic scenario,\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>mullahs can sell 100,000-300,000 barrels of oil per day. This contradiction has pushed the state-run media to describe the 2020 budget bill as \u201cimaginary.\u201d The Iranian regime\u2019s parliament rejected on February 5 the 2020 budget bill with 67 votes in favor and 114 votes against and 3 abstentions, while about hundred MPs were also absent. But due to the severe crises\u00a0<\/span>facing\u00a0<\/span>the regime, Ali Khamenei, the regime\u2019s supreme leader, overrode the Majlis on March 3<\/span>\u00a0and<\/span>\u00a0approved the budget bill with a state order and sent it to the Guardian Council for final approval.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Economic\u00a0<\/span>e<\/span>xperts believe the approval process of the 2020 budget shows the regime\u2019s severe economic crisis and the end of its strategic reserves. Also, it is not\u00a0<\/span>clear\u00a0<\/span>how the regime wants to run the government with a budget whose sources of income\u00a0<\/span>is\u00a0<\/span>unclear.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet, the regime, particularly Khamenei,\u00a0<\/span>could, if it wanted, help the Iranian people amid the coronavirus outbreak\u00a0<\/span>with his $90 billion\u00a0<\/span>financial empire and various financial institution<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From the first days of the outbreak, the Iranian Resistance has emphasized that the assets of huge financial foundations like the Execution of Imam Khomeini\u2019s Order (EIKO),\u00a0Astan\u00a0Quds\u00a0Razavi\u00a0and other huge foundations possessed by the supreme leader, should be made available to the public to fight the coronavirus.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this regard, the\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>state-run\u00a0<\/span>Jomhuri<\/span>–<\/span>e\u00a0<\/span>Eslami<\/span><\/a>\u00a0wrote in is editorial on April 9<\/span>:<\/span>\u00a0\u201cConsidering the economic recession caused by the coronavirus, what will the big financial institutions such as the Execution of Imam Khomeini\u2019s Order, the\u00a0<\/span>Mostazafan<\/span>\u00a0Foundation of Islamic Revolution and\u00a0<\/span>Astan<\/span> Quds do if they do not spend their money for the impoverished people?\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

And about helping the regime<\/span>, Farshad\u00a0<\/span>Momeni<\/span><\/a>, one of the regime\u2019s well-known\u00a0economists,\u00a0told\u00a0the state-run ILNA news agency:\u00a0\u201cCorruption and renting system will export foreign loans from Iran.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWhile Iran had enormous oil revenues within the last few years, this huge revenue, due to the [regime\u2019s] corruption and lacking a program<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0have not only increased Iran\u2019s manufacturing potential and its global system ranking, but rather have pushed the country to an unprecedented fall to be among countries with a horrible expansion of corruption, the cheapest living conditions, and severe environmental crises,\u201d\u00a0<\/span>Momeni<\/span>\u00a0continued, highlighting these issues\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>indicat<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0that the regime \u201cdoesn\u2019t have the ability to use currency resources.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Therefore, as Mrs. Maryam\u00a0<\/a><\/span>Rajavi<\/span>, the president-elect of the\u00a0<\/span>National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI)<\/span><\/a>, has<\/span>\u00a0said:\u00a0<\/span>\u201cToday<\/span>, regime change in Iran is indispensable not only to freedom and democracy in #Iran but also to the health of each and every individual in Iran and to the protection of their houses, cities and villages against natural disasters.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Today, regime change in Iran is indispensable not only to freedom and democracy in #Iran<\/a> but also to the health of each and every individual in Iran and to the protection of their houses, cities and villages against natural disasters #FreeIran2020<\/a> #COVID19<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/MNqb0SDGOW<\/a><\/p>\n

— Maryam Rajavi (@Maryam_Rajavi) April 8, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n