In a significant move, Iran regime’s Parliament has approved a threefold increase in the budget of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) for the year 2024, soaring to 24 trillion tomans compared to the previous year’s budget of less than eight trillion tomans.
Peyman Jabali, the head of the regime’s Broadcasting, directly appointed by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, had previously expressed concerns about the inadequacy of the organization’s budget to cover the costs of producing quality content for its extensive network. The recent budget hike aims to address this issue but has generated a wave of reactions.
Dawood Manzoor, deputy of the regime’s president Ebrahim Raisi and head of the Program and Budget Organization, highlighted the financial implications of this decision, stating that the increased budgets for both IRIB and the judiciary have imposed a combined burden of 37 trillion tomans on the government.
He noted that the budget adjustments for IRIB and the judiciary represented a 58 percent increase compared to the previous year, far exceeding the 12 percent growth allocated to other institutions.
The move has not been without its critics. Abdolnaser Hemmati, former head of the Central Bank, questioned the purpose of the substantial budget increase for IRIB.
In a post on X, he pointed out that the Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance under President Raisi proudly resorts to advertising on Persian-language channels abroad to reach audiences in the country. This raised questions about the necessity and utilization of the increased budget.
However, some Members of Parliament supported the budget hike, emphasizing its importance for reinforcing infrastructure and addressing the challenges of the ongoing media war.
Jabar Kuchakinejad, a member of the Budget Bill Consolidation Commission, stated that the increase primarily focuses on infrastructure, and considering the current media landscape, strengthening IRIB is crucial.
The upward trend in the annual budget of IRIB has been consistent, particularly since Peyman Jabali assumed leadership, reflecting the organization’s evolving role and challenges in the contemporary media landscape.
