In a recent parliamentary session, Mohamad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Speaker of the Iranian regime’s parliament, made a startling revelation. He acknowledged that a staggering $104 billion had been mismanaged, resulting in a significant financial burden on the Iranian people.
It is important to note that the methodology behind calculating this amount remains undisclosed, and no specific sources or references were provided. However, there are additional astonishing cases that can be corroborated, as highlighted by the state-run Sharq newspaper.
According to official sources, over the past decade, approximately $280 billion has been withdrawn from the sale of coins and currency by the Central Bank. Additionally, due to the practice of selling oil at a 20% discount with a daily output of 1 million barrels, an estimated $5 billion is squandered annually.
The banking sanctions imposed on Iran result in the purchase of goods at a 20% higher price, leading to an annual loss of $10 billion on imports totaling $50 billion. Moreover, the aging power plants contribute to excessive fuel consumption, amounting to $17 billion each year.
Another significant waste arises from pouring 100 million liters of gasoline into worn-out and low-quality cars daily, with at least 50% of it going to waste, equivalent to $15 billion. It is worth mentioning that these calculations do not account for the costs associated with respiratory diseases and the loss of life caused by the pollution that these cars produce.
Furthermore, an alarming number of accidents occur in Iran, with approximately 400,000 incidents resulting in the deaths of at least 17,000 people each year. The economic impact of these accidents includes the loss of approximately $1 billion worth of cars. Lastly, the black-market trading of petrochemical products leads to an annual loss of $10 billion due to underselling.
While the exact figures and methodology used to calculate the losses may vary, they underscore a series of financial mismanagement issues and missed opportunities that have had a detrimental impact on the Iranian economy.
These figures represent only a fraction of the comprehensive picture, as there are additional factors that remain unaccounted for. One such factor is the loss of millions of hectares of forests, a consequence of the regime’s mismanagement and insatiable greed.
The exact extent of damage caused by the depletion of the country’s groundwater resources is incalculable. For instance, Yazd province experiences an annual drop in water levels ranging from 40 to 50 centimeters, while officials admit that the Kerman province has lost its groundwater resources with no hope of recovery.
Numerous wetlands throughout the country have dried up, and provinces like Khuzestan in southwest Iran are facing catastrophic ecological conditions. And up north, the revival of Lake Urmia, which has lost over 80% of its water, has become virtually impossible despite the regime’s claims.
Consequently, the potential sand and salt storms could lead to the forced evacuation of the people from the city of Tabriz. The economic impact of desertification, which is rapidly expanding, has yet to be quantified. Additionally, the neglect by the regime has resulted in damages to historical monuments that have not been assessed.
Moreover, the value of the thousands of talented individuals who have emigrated from Iran has not been taken into account. Nor has the value of those who have been imprisoned or executed due to their opposition to the regime. It is crucial to consider these losses when evaluating the true cost of the regime’s actions.
Furthermore, we must reflect on the extent to which the regime has humiliated its own nation by transforming workers into virtual slaves within its new economic development plan.
An economist associated with the regime candidly said, “Today, labor and workers have become modern-day slaves, surrendering all their rights to their employers without any support. We are witnessing not only the exodus of the country’s intellectuals and technicians but also individuals in even modest professions such as hairdressers.”
These unaccounted factors, along with the previously mentioned financial mismanagement and wasted resources, paint a grim portrait of the consequences of the regime’s actions and policies.
