{"id":329456,"date":"2025-03-13T18:53:18","date_gmt":"2025-03-13T17:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=329456"},"modified":"2025-03-13T18:53:18","modified_gmt":"2025-03-13T17:53:18","slug":"weaponizing-poverty-how-irans-clerical-regime-uses-economic-hardship-to-maintain-control","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/weaponizing-poverty-how-irans-clerical-regime-uses-economic-hardship-to-maintain-control\/","title":{"rendered":"Weaponizing Poverty: How Iran\u2019s Clerical Regime Uses Economic Hardship to Maintain Control"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A young girl in Iran begs on the street to help support her family<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Three-minute read<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

When economic well-being becomes a threat to dictatorship, poverty turns into a tool for oppression. A recent revelation by Masoud Roghani Zanjani, former head of the Iranian regime\u2019s Planning and Budget Organization, has exposed a chilling strategy at the core of Iran\u2019s ruling theocracy. According to an interview with Abdi Media<\/a> on March 9, 2025, Roghani Zanjani disclosed that the regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, once told former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, \u201cIf people become prosperous, they will abandon religion.\u201d<\/p>\n

This statement is not a mere slip of the tongue; it is the key to understanding the Iranian regime\u2019s systematic strategy of using economic hardship as a means of control. It sheds light on why, despite vast natural resources, Iran\u2019s economy remains in a perpetual state of crisis. Under Khamenei\u2019s rule, economic suffering is not an accident\u2014it is a policy.<\/p>\n

Poverty as a Weapon<\/h3>\n

The right to a decent standard of living\u2014including access to food, healthcare, and housing\u2014is enshrined in Article 25 of the Universal Declaration<\/a> of Human Rights. Yet, the Iranian regime\u2019s deliberate economic policies contradict these principles, keeping millions in a state of deprivation.<\/p>\n

Iran is home to one of the world\u2019s largest reserves of oil and gas, yet decades of mismanagement, corruption, and suppression have pushed a significant portion of its population below the poverty line. While government officials blame international sanctions, the reality is far more sinister: Iran\u2019s ruling elite have intentionally maintained economic distress to suppress dissent. If people constantly struggle for survival, they have little energy left to challenge the state.<\/p>\n

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Clerical Regime in #Iran<\/a> Profits as the U.S. Dollar Surges Against the Rialhttps:\/\/t.co\/or1FnhU39N<\/a><\/p>\n

— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 24, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n