{"id":329818,"date":"2025-03-25T13:53:19","date_gmt":"2025-03-25T12:53:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?p=329818"},"modified":"2025-03-25T14:02:54","modified_gmt":"2025-03-25T13:02:54","slug":"poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\/","title":{"rendered":"Poverty by Design: How Iran\u2019s Rulers Keep the People Hungry and the Streets Quiet"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_243746\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-243746\" style=\"width: 1000px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-243746\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/khuzestan-poverty.jpg\" alt=\"The ugly face of poverty in Iran's oil-rich Khuzestan Province\" width=\"1000\" height=\"625\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/khuzestan-poverty.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/khuzestan-poverty-300x188.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/khuzestan-poverty-768x480.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/khuzestan-poverty-150x94.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/khuzestan-poverty-696x435.jpg 696w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-243746\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The ugly face of poverty in Iran&#8217;s oil-rich Khuzestan Province<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"308\" data-end=\"363\"><strong><em>Three-minute read<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"308\" data-end=\"363\">In Iran today, hunger isn\u2019t a consequence. It\u2019s a tool.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"365\" data-end=\"698\">There was a time when poverty in Iran was framed as collateral damage\u2014of sanctions, war, or global economics. That illusion has collapsed. What we\u2019re witnessing now is something closer to policy. Deliberate. Calculated. A system in which scarcity isn\u2019t solved but maintained\u2014because for the regime, a starving people is a silent one.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"700\" data-end=\"1266\">On March 24, former budget chief Mohammad Baqer <a href=\"https:\/\/fararu.com\/fa\/news\/847007\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Nobakht admitted<\/a> what many Iranians already feel in their bones: to patch the gaping hole in the government\u2019s finances, the regime will need to squeeze two quadrillion tomans in taxes out of a collapsing economy. The poor\u2014already crushed under the weight of food inflation, medication shortages, and currency collapse\u2014are expected to carry the burden. \u201cEven with this budget,\u201d Nobakht said, \u201crunning the year ahead will be difficult.\u201d Translation: the regime wants more blood from the stone, and it still won\u2019t be enough.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"1268\" data-end=\"1335\">This isn\u2019t fiscal mismanagement. It\u2019s state-sanctioned suffocation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"1337\" data-end=\"1915\">Ask the average Iranian what\u2019s breaking them, and they won\u2019t say \u201csanctions.\u201d Even the regime\u2019s own clerics have started to acknowledge the elephant in the room. In Mashhad, Khamenei\u2019s personal envoy, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.asriran.com\/fa\/news\/1044625\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ahmad Alamolhoda, pointed<\/a> the finger inward, blaming state-linked institutions for manipulating foreign currency markets and smuggling state-subsidized goods abroad while Iranians at home face unaffordable prices. \u201cSometimes you wonder,\u201d he said to divert blame, \u201chave certain elements infiltrated the system just to make life unbearable for the people?\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Watch and judge how this insider is warning that <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/IranRevolution?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#IranRevolution<\/a> is at the regime&#39;s doorsteps. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/C8ywVnrVJN\">pic.twitter.com\/C8ywVnrVJN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1720489219498405930?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 3, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"1917\" data-end=\"1991\">He posed it like a rhetorical question, but it was a calculated deflection\u2014an attempt to shift blame from the system itself to vague \u201cinfiltrators,\u201d as if the corruption were external, not engineered from within.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"1993\" data-end=\"2419\">The economy, as experienced by Iranians, is not merely dysfunctional\u2014it\u2019s hostile. Prices aren\u2019t just rising; they\u2019re spiraling. On the fifth day of the new Persian year, <a href=\"https:\/\/alanchand.com\/en\/currencies-price\/usd-hav\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the U.S. dollar crossed 100,000 tomans<\/a>, an unprecedented collapse of the national currency. Medicine has tripled in price. A decent meal is becoming a luxury. The regime, meanwhile, finds billions to spend on half-baked mega-projects and foreign militias.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2421\" data-end=\"2930\">Where does the money go? Not into rebuilding trust. That, too, has been pulverized. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.etemadonline.com\/%D8%A8%D8%AE%D8%B4-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-9\/705106-%DA%AF%D9%84%D8%A7%DB%8C%D9%87-%D9%85%D8%B5%D8%A8%D8%A7%D8%AD%DB%8C-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%AF%D9%85-%D8%A7%D8%B1%D8%B2-%D8%B7%D9%84%D8%A7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Gholamreza Mesbahi-Moghaddam<\/a>, a senior regime official, recently went on state TV and asked Iranians to invest their savings in state-backed firms. He even admitted the regime had a \u201ctrust problem\u201d due to past fiascos where citizens\u2019 savings were \u201cpowdered\u201d\u2014a euphemism for wiped out. Still, he urged them to try again. Like a thief asking his victim to hand over what little they have left\u2014for the national good, of course.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"2932\" data-end=\"3364\">But the truth is, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/anews\/iran-news-state-media-warns-khamenei-not-to-add-fuel-to-the-fire-of-uprising\/\">economic \u201crescue plans\u201d in Iran<\/a> always lead to the same destination: the pockets of the regime\u2019s inner circle. Every time citizens are persuaded to put their money into so-called \u201cproduction companies,\u201d it ends in scandal, bankruptcy, and quiet impunity. These aren\u2019t accidents. They\u2019re part of a controlled system of expropriation\u2014one that sustains the ruling class while keeping the lower classes busy surviving.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">While the people of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iran?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iran<\/a> suffer from hunger and poverty, the regime invests millions in religious influence abroad. Watch and judge the admissions of this <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/IRGC?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#IRGC<\/a> official <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XXXYj2dvRS\">pic.twitter.com\/XXXYj2dvRS<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1700209132458938569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 8, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3366\" data-end=\"3773\">Nowhere is this clearer than in the black economy. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/interactives\/2017\/obama-hezbollah-drug-trafficking-investigation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Iran\u2019s narcotics trade<\/a>, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tahlilbazaar.com\/news\/319119\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">regime\u2019s own media<\/a>, is worth over 300,000 billion tomans. Ninety percent of the world\u2019s opium is \u201cdiscovered\u201d in Iran. The country is both a corridor and a market\u2014and increasingly, a graveyard. Drugs aren\u2019t just trafficked; they\u2019re used, widely, numbing a generation that might otherwise be marching in the streets.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"3775\" data-end=\"4033\">The same goes for fuel. It was recently revealed that a pipeline had been secretly laid from a restricted airport zone all the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.entekhab.ir\/fa\/news\/855288\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> way to the sea<\/a>\u2014built specifically to smuggle fuel. That\u2019s not petty corruption. That\u2019s industrial theft, under military protection.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4035\" data-end=\"4296\">What do these seemingly unrelated facts have in common? They all point to one truth: the regime relies on a controlled breakdown of the economy, not despite the risk of rebellion\u2014but to prevent it. Misery is not the price of survival. It\u2019s the method of control.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Why are ordinary <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Iranians?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#Iranians<\/a> slipping under the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/poverty?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#poverty<\/a> line on a daily basis? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/WV4ZRiZNua\">pic.twitter.com\/WV4ZRiZNua<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/iran_policy\/status\/1734986625795375592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">December 13, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4298\" data-end=\"4747\">This is a form of governance that doesn\u2019t aim to lift its people\u2014but to exhaust them. To make sure no family can think beyond next week\u2019s rent, no youth can organize beyond their daily hustle, no neighborhood can rise before it is drained of hope. This is what <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/society\/poverty-in-iran-the-clerical-regimes-contribution-to-a-growing-crisis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">engineered poverty<\/a> looks like. It\u2019s not a line in a report. It\u2019s the empty refrigerator. The daughter who dropped out of school. The father juggling two jobs and still borrowing for bread.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4749\" data-end=\"4975\">The clerical regime, for all its hollow sermons, knows exactly what it\u2019s doing. This is economic warfare against its own people, carried out not with tanks, but with ration cards, collapsing currency, and silent bank accounts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"0\" data-end=\"204\">What they fear most isn\u2019t bankruptcy\u2014it\u2019s awakening. Because when a hungry people stop believing the lies and see through the fog of promises and propaganda, they realize they have nothing left to lose.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5192\" data-end=\"5239\">And that\u2019s when the street stops being quiet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Three-minute read In Iran today, hunger isn&rsquo;t a consequence. It&rsquo;s a tool. There was a time when poverty in Iran was framed as collateral damage&mdash;of sanctions, war, or global economics. [&#8230;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":243746,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[269,1180],"class_list":{"0":"post-329818","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-economy","8":"tag-iran-economy","9":"tag-iran-poverty"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Poverty by Design: How Iran\u2019s Rulers Keep the People Hungry and the Streets Quiet - NCRI<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Three-minute read In Iran today, hunger isn\u2019t a consequence. It\u2019s a tool. There was a time when poverty in Iran was framed as collateral damage\u2014of\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Poverty by Design: How Iran\u2019s Rulers Keep the People Hungry and the Streets Quiet - NCRI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Three-minute read In Iran today, hunger isn\u2019t a consequence. It\u2019s a tool. There was a time when poverty in Iran was framed as collateral damage\u2014of\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NCRI\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-03-25T12:53:19+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-03-25T13:02:54+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/khuzestan-poverty.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"625\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Mansoureh Galestan\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@iran_policy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@iran_policy\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Mansoureh Galestan\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":[\"Article\",\"BlogPosting\"],\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/economy\\\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/economy\\\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Mansoureh Galestan\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4039d83ce2c628eef0e1a1f461381ab9\"},\"headline\":\"Poverty by Design: How Iran\u2019s Rulers Keep the People Hungry and the Streets Quiet\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-25T12:53:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-25T13:02:54+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/economy\\\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":892,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/economy\\\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/07\\\/khuzestan-poverty.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Iran economy\",\"Iran Poverty\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Iran Economy News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/economy\\\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/economy\\\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\\\/\",\"name\":\"Poverty by Design: How Iran\u2019s Rulers Keep the People Hungry and the Streets Quiet - NCRI\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/economy\\\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/economy\\\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/07\\\/khuzestan-poverty.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-03-25T12:53:19+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-03-25T13:02:54+00:00\",\"description\":\"Three-minute read In Iran today, hunger isn\u2019t a consequence. It\u2019s a tool. There was a time when poverty in Iran was framed as collateral damage\u2014of\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/economy\\\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/economy\\\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/economy\\\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/07\\\/khuzestan-poverty.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/07\\\/khuzestan-poverty.jpg\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":625,\"caption\":\"The ugly face of poverty in Iran's oil-rich Khuzestan Province\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/news\\\/economy\\\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Poverty by Design: How Iran\u2019s Rulers Keep the People Hungry and the Streets Quiet\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/\",\"name\":\"NCRI\",\"description\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\",\"alternateName\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/ncri-logo.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/ncri-logo.jpg\",\"width\":402,\"height\":100,\"caption\":\"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/iran_policy\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4039d83ce2c628eef0e1a1f461381ab9\",\"name\":\"Mansoureh Galestan\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6d346a2001f8363ce051c28c766cdfe5a68c4ca30376b1978c761f2bed2b63c0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6d346a2001f8363ce051c28c766cdfe5a68c4ca30376b1978c761f2bed2b63c0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/6d346a2001f8363ce051c28c766cdfe5a68c4ca30376b1978c761f2bed2b63c0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Mansoureh Galestan\"},\"description\":\"Mansoureh Galestan is a writer and novelist. She was a news editor for Radio Mojahed from 1983 to 1988 and a news editor for Simay-e Azadi from 1988 to 2013. She has been a news writer for NCR-Iran since 2013.\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ncr-iran.org\\\/en\\\/author\\\/mansoureh-galestan\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Poverty by Design: How Iran\u2019s Rulers Keep the People Hungry and the Streets Quiet - NCRI","description":"Three-minute read In Iran today, hunger isn\u2019t a consequence. It\u2019s a tool. There was a time when poverty in Iran was framed as collateral damage\u2014of","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Poverty by Design: How Iran\u2019s Rulers Keep the People Hungry and the Streets Quiet - NCRI","og_description":"Three-minute read In Iran today, hunger isn\u2019t a consequence. It\u2019s a tool. There was a time when poverty in Iran was framed as collateral damage\u2014of","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\/","og_site_name":"NCRI","article_published_time":"2025-03-25T12:53:19+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-03-25T13:02:54+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1000,"height":625,"url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/khuzestan-poverty.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Mansoureh Galestan","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@iran_policy","twitter_site":"@iran_policy","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Mansoureh Galestan","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":["Article","BlogPosting"],"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\/"},"author":{"name":"Mansoureh Galestan","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/4039d83ce2c628eef0e1a1f461381ab9"},"headline":"Poverty by Design: How Iran\u2019s Rulers Keep the People Hungry and the Streets Quiet","datePublished":"2025-03-25T12:53:19+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-25T13:02:54+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\/"},"wordCount":892,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/khuzestan-poverty.jpg","keywords":["Iran economy","Iran Poverty"],"articleSection":["Iran Economy News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\/","name":"Poverty by Design: How Iran\u2019s Rulers Keep the People Hungry and the Streets Quiet - NCRI","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/khuzestan-poverty.jpg","datePublished":"2025-03-25T12:53:19+00:00","dateModified":"2025-03-25T13:02:54+00:00","description":"Three-minute read In Iran today, hunger isn\u2019t a consequence. It\u2019s a tool. There was a time when poverty in Iran was framed as collateral damage\u2014of","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/khuzestan-poverty.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/khuzestan-poverty.jpg","width":1000,"height":625,"caption":"The ugly face of poverty in Iran's oil-rich Khuzestan Province"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/news\/economy\/poverty-by-design-how-irans-rulers-keep-the-people-hungry-and-the-streets-quiet\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Poverty by Design: How Iran\u2019s Rulers Keep the People Hungry and the Streets Quiet"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/","name":"NCRI","description":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#organization","name":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran","alternateName":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/ncri-logo.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/ncri-logo.jpg","width":402,"height":100,"caption":"Official website of the National Council of Resistance of Iran"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/iran_policy"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/4039d83ce2c628eef0e1a1f461381ab9","name":"Mansoureh Galestan","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d346a2001f8363ce051c28c766cdfe5a68c4ca30376b1978c761f2bed2b63c0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d346a2001f8363ce051c28c766cdfe5a68c4ca30376b1978c761f2bed2b63c0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/6d346a2001f8363ce051c28c766cdfe5a68c4ca30376b1978c761f2bed2b63c0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Mansoureh Galestan"},"description":"Mansoureh Galestan is a writer and novelist. She was a news editor for Radio Mojahed from 1983 to 1988 and a news editor for Simay-e Azadi from 1988 to 2013. She has been a news writer for NCR-Iran since 2013.","url":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/author\/mansoureh-galestan\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=329818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/243746"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=329818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=329818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ncr-iran.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=329818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}