A seven-member committee, the Supreme Council of Government Branch Leaders, was established in 2018 with the role of identifying government property that will be sold to people of interest and depositing the funds to the government body. The committee is chaired by Vice President Mohammad Mokhber and includes ministers and other high-ranking officials.
Critics of the plan argue that the sale of government property is not a solution to the country’s economic problems and will only exacerbate poverty and corruption.
“The realization of 1,080 trillion rials expected resources from this plan in the next year is doubtful,” according to the Bazar website on January 28.
The plan exempts council members from prosecution and gives the executors of the council’s decisions the same immunity. This has raised concerns about the lack of accountability and transparency in the sale of government property.
The parliament is also considering adding an article to the Islamic Penal Code to crack down on dissent. According to the code, those who express opinions that have a widespread impact before official authorities have announced them can face imprisonment of more than 10 to 15 years and a fine of more than 360 to 550 million rials.
The government claims that the plan is meant to compensate for the budget deficit, but even regime-linked media consider it impractical to cover the government’s budget deficit. The tragedy is such that Ali Nikzad, a member of the Majlis (Parliament), says, “Criticisms against this plan should not be raised in public.”
The regime’s sale of Iran’s resources and wealth for the survival of its rule has been a controversial issue for several decades. As the country’s economy suffers from inflation, stagnation, and the gradual decline in the value of the national currency, domestic policy is increasingly focused on the suppression and elimination of the opposition.
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