Back to Bread-and-Butter Issues in Iran

As Iran’s state-censored media reports on the war in Gaza and Iran’s supposedly triumphant drone and missile attack against Israel, one parliamentarian dared to address a question closer to the hearts – or, more correctly, bellies – of Iranians: “Who can deny that the price of red meat has reached $16 per kilogram? The Cabinet is, because it is incapable of correcting it.”

• April 16: Interviewed by centrist Khabar Online, Ahmad Ali-Reza Beygi, a parliamentarian from Tabriz, East Azerbaijan province, said:
  • “The Cabinet should have sensors in society and grasp the fact that the economy is in trouble … The central bank is constantly releasing reports on the increasing prices of foodstuffs. The price of meat is surpassing $16 per kilogram. The conditions are not good. Who can deny these things? They are undeniable. If anyone denies them, nobody will believe it.”
  • Asked why the Cabinet is in denial, Beygi said: “This is a disease. You don’t recognize the problems you either don’t want to or are incapable of solving, so you deny the existence of the problems.”
  • Addressing the upcoming May 10 parliamentary elections, Beygi continued: “Our country is unpredictable. Experience shows if the people take part in elections, things change. Elections are a fundamental institution, and the constitution defines them as the popular will prevailing. When the people, unfortunately, stay away from the ballot, does it not harm the legitimacy of elections? The Guardian Council has persuaded the people that a lack of electoral participation has no impact on the legitimacy of the vote, which led to the people staying at home in the last parliamentary and presidential elections … This harms the legitimacy of the political order, and it is a threat. It reduces hope in the future and imposes considerable losses on our national security.”

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