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A young girl in Iran begs on the street to help support her family
Three-minute read
When economic well-being becomes a threat to dictatorship, poverty turns into a tool for oppression. A recent revelation by Masoud Roghani Zanjani, former head of the Iranian regime’s Planning and Budget Organization, has exposed a chilling strategy at the core of Iran’s ruling theocracy. According to an interview with Abdi Media on March 9, 2025, Roghani Zanjani disclosed that the regime’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, once told former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, “If people become prosperous, they will abandon religion.”
This statement is not a mere slip of the tongue; it is the key to understanding the Iranian regime’s systematic strategy of using economic hardship as a means of control. It sheds light on why, despite vast natural resources, Iran’s economy remains in a perpetual state of crisis. Under Khamenei’s rule, economic suffering is not an accident—it is a policy.
Poverty as a Weapon
The right to a decent standard of living—including access to food, healthcare, and housing—is enshrined in Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Yet, the Iranian regime’s deliberate economic policies contradict these principles, keeping millions in a state of deprivation.
Iran is home to one of the world’s largest reserves of oil and gas, yet decades of mismanagement, corruption, and suppression have pushed a significant portion of its population below the poverty line. While government officials blame international sanctions, the reality is far more sinister: Iran’s ruling elite have intentionally maintained economic distress to suppress dissent. If people constantly struggle for survival, they have little energy left to challenge the state.
Clerical Regime in #Iran Profits as the U.S. Dollar Surges Against the Rialhttps://t.co/or1FnhU39N
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 24, 2025
Inflation, Currency Devaluation, and the Destruction of Livelihoods
The clerical regime has actively contributed to hyperinflation, currency devaluation, and economic stagnation. By depleting the rial’s value, the regime ensures that basic necessities become unaffordable, creating a dependent and desperate population.
The Iranian rial has lost over 90% of its value in the past decade.
Food prices have increased by over 300% since 2022, crushing the working class.
The unemployment rate remains dangerously high, disproportionately affecting youth and women.
These conditions are not simply byproducts of mismanagement—they are a carefully crafted mechanism of control.
Bonyads and the Economic Stranglehold
Iran’s economy is largely controlled by powerful Bonyads, or so-called charitable foundations, which are tax-exempt, unaccountable, and under the direct supervision of Khamenei. These entities, including the Mostazafan Foundation and Astan Quds Razavi, control vast sectors of the economy, from construction to banking. Instead of alleviating poverty, they operate as shadow economies for the ruling elite, further widening the wealth gap.
The glaring hypocrisy of Iran’s leadership is visible in the stark contrast between their lavish lifestyles and the struggles of ordinary citizens.
While women in Sistan and Baluchestan die during childbirth due to lack of medical facilities, Khamenei’s family members travel abroad to deliver their children in luxurious private hospitals in London and Canada.
The ruling elite live in multi-million-dollar villas in northern Tehran, while millions of Iranians are forced into slums with no access to clean water or basic sanitation.
This contradiction is not incidental—it is a calculated policy of inequality. Keeping the masses poor while enjoying unchecked opulence ensures the elite’s grip on power.
Leaked Documents Expose #Iranian MPs’ Lucrative Salaries Amidst #Economic Hardshiphttps://t.co/5g9znjbBTk
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 16, 2024
Repression Through Economic Destitution
Beyond mere economic hardship, the regime weaponizes poverty to prevent organized political opposition. The logic is simple: if people are struggling to afford food and housing, they lack the energy to mobilize against the government. This strategy was evident during the 2017–2018 and 2019–2020 protests, which were triggered by economic despair but swiftly crushed by brutal security forces.
The crackdown on economic protests proves that the clerical dictatorship does not see poverty as a problem but rather as a tool for silencing dissent. A well-fed, financially secure population would have the time and means to challenge state corruption—something Khamenei’s regime cannot afford to allow.
If a state deliberately inflicts suffering on its own people for political survival, does this not constitute a crime against humanity? Under international law, systematic oppression through economic means can be classified as persecution, which is prosecutable under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The international community must recognize Iran’s policies for what they truly are: not just economic mismanagement but an intentional crime against its people.
While the people of #Iran suffer from hunger and poverty, the regime invests millions in religious influence abroad. Watch and judge the admissions of this #IRGC official pic.twitter.com/XXXYj2dvRS
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) September 8, 2023
The Unfinished Struggle for Economic Justice
The Iranian people deserve better than a regime that sees their suffering as a political asset. The recent revelations about Khamenei’s views on poverty confirm what many have long suspected: Economic oppression is a tool of dictatorship. But history also shows that no regime built on oppression can last forever. When poverty becomes unbearable and injustice reaches its peak, revolutions are inevitable.
Iran is at a turning point. The world must listen to the cries of its people and expose the reality of a regime that thrives on suffering. The Iranian people’s fight for dignity, justice, and economic freedom is far from over—and it is a fight they will ultimately win.