The Iranian regime is authoritarian and highly centralized, with the unelected Supreme Leader and his appointed institutions holding ultimate political and religious authority. The regime’s policies and practices show no respect for civil liberties, including freedom of expression and assembly.

In terms of corruption, Iran is ranked poorly by various indices, including Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index. The regime is deeply corrupt, including in the industrial sector, with state-owned enterprises often operating in a non-transparent and non-accountable manner. This has led to a concentration of wealth and power among a small group of politically connected individuals, at the expense of broader societal interests. Corruption is also linked to a lack of transparency in government procurement, which favors politically connected businesses.

The regime has a poor track record in accurately reporting statistics related to political, economic, social, and other fields. This lack of accuracy is a longstanding issue, which has persisted under all previous governments. However, since Ebrahim Raisi assumed office, the situation has worsened significantly.

Upon analyzing the statistics of various organizations under the regime, it becomes apparent that they are lacking in their responsibility to provide up-to-date and accurate information. In addition, a significant portion of the data presented appears to be intentionally manipulated to portray a positive image of the regime, while concealing instances of corruption, theft, and the dire state of affairs in the country. And even worse, some of its organizations never provide any statistics.

The statistics presented by the regime’s state media are carefully selected to avoid threatening the regime’s stability, endangering its officials, or exposing the regime’s true nature to the public. This selective approach to reporting information is a deliberate tactic employed by the regime to maintain control over the narrative and avoid scrutiny of its policies and actions.

In this context, the newspaper ‘Donya-e Eghtesad’ investigated this issue in an article titled ‘Mass Prison of Statistics’ on May 2.

As reported by this newspaper, despite the regime’s assurances to address inflation concerns in the current year, the Statistical Center of Iran has yet to furnish economic experts and activists with any relevant data. This lack of transparency raises questions about the regime’s commitment to tackling economic issues and suggests a disregard for the concerns of the wider public.

This newspaper has reported that, in conjunction with the Statistical Center, the Central Bank of the regime has refused to disclose statistics pertaining to the consumer price index.

According to the report, the absence of statistical information is not limited to inflation alone. A pattern of “statistical silence” is seen in other sectors such as industry, trade, and housing.

Furthermore, the Statistical Center of the regime is failing to publish any performance data related to the regime’s budget. Additionally, the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade has refused to disclose monthly statistics relevant to its operations.

The report highlights the extent of statistical censorship in the field of housing, noting that the Iran Statistics Center is failing to update and publish key data points such as the ‘Tehran Housing Price’, ‘Country Housing Price’, ‘Tehran Rent’, ‘Country Rent’, ‘Transaction Volume’, ‘Housing Construction Circulation’, and ‘Construction Investment’.

The article’s conclusion is stark: as the economic situation in the country continues to deteriorate, the lack of statistical information and transparency in this field serves as a negative signal to the broader economic sector, fueling instability and exacerbating an already challenging situation. The market and industry sectors are experiencing significant pressures, and the situation is worsening with each passing day. Urgent action is required to address this lack of transparency and ensure that accurate and up-to-date information is made available to experts and the public alike, to prevent further economic convulsions in the country.