Tensions between the United States and Iran have been on the rise over the past few months, in particular in the past week or so, and the Trump administration has indicated that further economic sanctions are on their way.
There are major concerns from many that there is soon going to be a military conflict between the two nations. However, the Trump administration has emphasised that it is sending reinforcements into the Gulf for the purpose of being prepared after receiving credible threats from Iran.
On Iran’s side, plunging itself into a military conflict would be suicide.
The U.S., as well as applying oil sanctions, has designated the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO). This is a move that will cause further economic turmoil as the IRGC controls a large portion of the country’s economy.
The effect on the people of Iran has been devastating, but the people are so desperate for regime change and they welcome the pressure. They understand that the more pressure the regime is put under, the quicker it will collapse.
At the beginning of the month, a state-run newspaper reported about the economic instability that has seen prices rise beyond what anyone could imagine, causing many to fear about the future. The increase in the price of red meat is widely known, but it must also be made clear that the cost of other products, even the most banal such as onions and potatoes, are also sharply increasing.
Fruit, for example, once a staple in the Iranian diet, is now something that working-class families dream about being able to buy.
The economic unfairness, which has been present for as long as the corrupt regime has been in place, is becoming more prevalent and something that the people will not let go of. As the people get poorer and poorer, regime officials continue to line their own pockets. There are currently two rates being used to buy and sell U.S. dollars – the state-imposed official rate and the free market rate. The regime does not even try to hide its corruption when it hands out the more favourable rate to the elite.
The widespread corruption and economic mismanagement is something that regime officials are guilty of and something that the current government has acknowledged. However, it will be very difficult for the regime to tackle it, precisely because it is present at all levels of leadership, including in the highest ranks.
It is time for the international community to support the people of Iran in their quest for regime change. The people of Iran have suffered under the regime for four decades. They deserve a new leadership that will not put terrorist activities before the needs of the people and the country.
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