In his remarks at the Majlis [Parliament] June 22 session, Mohammad Reza Sabbaghian, MP from Yazd province, revealed that he refuses to criticize the state-backed mafia, preventing the Guarding Council from disqualifying him. “I’m cautious about criticizing several institutions and apparatuses affiliated with the Supreme Leader,” he said.
“Aside from his excellency, we usually avoid criticizing [Khamenei-linked] subsidiary bodies, fearing to be disqualified. However, I’m concerned about being disqualified for telling these issues,” Sabbaghian added. “When we ignore faults, enemies extremely and crazily say in media, social media groups, websites, and networks.”
Meanwhile, the MP pointed to systematic corruption as another disastrous phenomenon in Iran. “Our second great weakness is prioritizing relationships instead of regulation and order. The Metropol Tower collapse, the Mashhad-Yazd train incident, the Pelasco catastrophe, the sales density, and construction towers that have grown like mushrooms are the outcome of this priority.”
Sabbaghian also admitted that these towers had been constructed disregarding the necessary educational, cultural, entertainment, and hygienic guidelines. “The [buildings] push citizens into cement cages, imposing social harms on their residents. These towers have the highest death toll [rate] among their residents.”
The MP also highlighted the government’s “achievements” in the past 43 years, including “Horrible traffic, air pollution, increasing cases in courts, prisoners, robberies, divorces, child laborers.” “Giving tasks, licenses, occupations, and facilities based on nepotism and parts of high prices are due to prioritizing relationship over the rules. However, [we] care about this important issue less.”
Sabbaghian spoke about the banking system and banks’ massive advantages as the third fault in Iran under the ayatollahs’ hell. “[Bankers] describe the result of Riba [usury] and massive privileges as ‘blessing.’”
“Inflation and essential goods price hikes and people’s incessant struggle—by working double or triple shifts—to make ends meet and eliminating many sectors of society are due to trampling this divine ruling [against lucre]. I’m wondered why the religious scientists and authorities have remained silent? Great ayatollahs! what is the Riba, and where is it if such massive banking profits are not Riba?”
This Process Leads the State to Absolute Bankruptcy
Another MP, Ali Asghar Annabestani, notorious for slapping a traffic soldier in public, blamed Khamenei-backed President Ebrahim Raisi for wasting billions of dollars. “Mr. President, there was an expectation that the 2023 budget bill goes to the Majlis with utter changes based on our beloved Supreme Leader decree,” he said.
Annabestani then explained that the current budget bill forces managers to cost heavy expenditures and waste billions of dollars of the national wealth. He also admitted to the slow, frustrated, massive, and complicated bureaucratic system, full of corruption and fraud cases. “You should change this system to save the country,” he said.
“The bureaucratic system is strangling the country. It would swallow the entire national resources and lead the country to an absolute bankruptcy if you fail to act immediately and change this system,” Annabestani added.
Annabestani warned Khamenei’s protégé about the corruption, while Raisi dominated one of the wealthiest and tax-exempted institutions in Iran, Astan Quds Razavi, for years. Furthermore, Raisi obeys Khamenei’s orders, which is the sole factor for appointing him as President.
Therefore, any criticism, objection, and mocking of Raisi equals assaulting Khamenei and his mottos. In his June 21 speech, Khamenei severely slammed those criticizing “officials.”
“Anyone who disappoints the people from the future is, willingly or unwillingly, working in favor of the enemy. Anyone who makes the people doubt the officials’ activities, efforts, and planning is working in favor of the enemy,” Khamenei said.
“Change the government and make it competent. Refine procedures. Government employees are not the problem; the problem is the flawed process, and they have been stuck in it. Mr. President, almost half of your government’s procedures are futile and should be removed.”
Annabestani voiced his concerns over the people’s recent protests, directly targeting Raisi and his government. These slogans include: “Death to Raisi,” “Death to the incompetent government,” “Death to the deceitful government,” and “The sixth-grader’s government will collapse soon.”
By expressing concern about the Iranian people’s ongoing protests, Annabestani revealed that the major problem for him and his ilk is the Iranian people’s uprising and how to preserve the regime. Shedding crocodile tears for people by a man who slapped a traffic police officer and enjoyed the systematic impunity in Iran is a pathetic action in the face of a volatile society that has indeed increased the regime’s infightings. In other words, when there is nothing to loot, thieves lock horns.
