The precarious state of the Iranian regime has reached a point where numerous current officials feel compelled to voice their concerns, with some even issuing warnings to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei about the imminent downfall of the regime.
In an interview with the state-run website Fararu, Heshmatollah Falahatpishe, former Chairman of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the Parliament, delved into the internal and external crises gripping the regime.
He scrutinized the regime’s foreign policy, particularly its tendency to interfere in the affairs of other nations, asserting:
“The forthcoming Parliament will witness factions vying with each other to radicalize foreign policy. Representatives will shy away from questioning expenditures in foreign interventions like Syria. Discussion on Iran’s one-sided relationship with Russia, which has undermined our nation’s standing in international circles, will be notably absent.”
Falahatpishe, who previously exposed the regime’s extravagant $30 billion spending to support Bashar Assad’s regime in Syria, contends that Khamenei cannot evade the challenges posed by foreign policy. He cites involvement in conflicts such as Ukraine and Gaza as pressing issues, underscoring the unanticipated strain caused by tensions with Western nations.
“A significant portion of the foreign policy impasse has been engineered by those who have shaped the current Parliament,” Falahatpishe declared. “The prevailing ruling faction in the Parliament, along with the government and the dominant factions supporting them, lack any de-escalation strategy. Their track record is replete with instances of exacerbating tensions in Iran’s foreign engagements.”
He characterizes the regime’s current predicament as a “double entrenchment of foreign policy stalemates.” Moreover, he emphasizes the JCPOA negotiations as another challenge influenced by Khamenei’s involvement in the Ukraine conflict. Despite early warnings, the ramifications were disregarded until months later when the regime’s foreign minister finally acknowledged their impact.
Falahatpishe cites statements made by Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, who conceded that the JCPOA negotiations in Geneva had stalled due to Iran’s entanglement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“The prospect of reviving the JCPOA is bleak,” Falahatpishe added. “The current objective pursued by Iran and the United States is not the alleviation of tensions but rather their management.”
He then draws attention to the regime’s reluctance to endorse the FATF as another hurdle.
“The failure to ratify the FATF escalates the economic costs borne by the country,” he remarked. “It’s regrettable that some advocate for an internal FATF, despite the ineffectiveness of internal mechanisms in preventing major corruption scandals like Chai Debsh and others.”
“Instead, amidst an opaque foreign economy, Iran’s oil reserves are effectively squandered,” Falahatpishe continued. “In response to my interview, a minister dismissed my claims of a one trillion toman oil discount as baseless. However, the actual discount may be even greater. Although the government alleges an average daily oil sale of 1.5 million barrels, with over 90% exported to China, the revenue received only accounts for the sale of 1.1 million barrels. This suggests a significant discount.”
