Over the past few weeks, I have continued to monitor the ongoing tragedy in Iran, as illustrated by this simple grid (accompanied by a few headlines in Farsi, which I have translated).
The left part of the grid begins with a Royal Decree by the Late Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi whereby the late Shah ordered education to be free at all levels--Underneath it, there is a snapshot on the predicament of children whereby over One Million Children will not be able to go to school and an average 200-page notebook costs about 200,000 Tomans ((in US Dollar terms, it means $ 2))--but the World needs to understand that it is about an average of 4 percent of an average workers' salary. The Polish Foreign Minister unveiled a Shahab Drone shot down over Poland to underscore the threat to Europe from the Islamic Republic. The Islamic Republic Foreign Ministry called in Poland's Charge d'Affaires--I guess they were offended, but truth hurts!!
As the economic depravity brought about by a corrupt, inept regime continues to consume Iran, there is also the utter destruction of Iran's Monuments. The utter disregard shown for the groundwater has been such that monuments near the Tomb of Cyrus are in danger of being consumed by the cracks in the ground. Villages around Isfahan have had to be evacuated. The former head of Iran's Environment Organization, Kalantari, noted that Isfahan is sitting on air because the groundwater has been destroyed. The tragedy of the death of Urimiyeh Lake, the largest saltwater lake in the Middle East and the second-largest in the World, which has existed for over 7,000 years, also epitomizes the criminality that has prevailed. This is because the criminal thugs holding Iran hostage continue to insist on developing intercontinental ballistic missiles and enriching Uranium--the World will continue to apply sanctions.
As I was reflecting upon the realities, I could not believe my eyes when the clip came out about Shamkhani's daughter's luxurious wedding, as Shamkhani, Khameini's Senior Advisor (whose Son "Hector" has made billions off the sanctions as Iranians continue to suffer greatly). As the regime's henchmen continue to live lives of luxury and their children enjoy luxurious lives outside of Iran, Iranians continue to suffer power cuts and may potentially face a tripling of Gasoline prices. As this is not enough, there is talk by a Minister about shortages of gas — in a country that has the second-largest natural gas reserves in the World. It was also recently reported that the Capital, Tehran, (for which the Daily Outsider has a recent feature on why it is an unlivable city), only had six days of clean air in the past six months.
The ultimate failure of the Islamic Regime holding Iran hostage was epitomized by the meeting the Syrian Interim Leader, Ahmad Al Sharra, had with Vladimir Putin in Moscow after the role Moscow had in killing over Five Hundred Thousand Syrians and displacing almost 50% of the Syrian population--as Al Sharra has talked about extracting retribution from Iran. They have decided to, again, to impose the mandatory hijab law by hiring some 80,000 people to go after women, yet again. They seem not to have learnt anything in the aftermath of the murder of Mahsa Amini and the advent of the Women, Life, Freedom that continues even today.
Recently, Masoud Pezeshkian, the President of the Islamic Republic, asked during a visit to the South of Iran to imagine what the Islamic Republic would be like if it were no more. Iranians have lost over Three Trillion Dollars thanks to the criminal policies of the regime. As I reflected upon this, I know when I speak for many Iranians, when I tell the thugs, thieves, and murderers who have held Iran hostage to just leave, and Iranians will figure out a way to build Iran back better than before. I do remind myself that the Moon will never stay behind the clouds--but the clouds are yet to dissipate. As I close out these Month-End Random Thoughts with a Conversation Iranian Director Jafar Panahi Had With Martin Scorsese recently, I wonder if that day will come:
I close out with this from Sima Bina, courtesy the Farhang Foundation, with a tribute to the Ancient Fortress that is Iran:
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