Iranian Economist: Cuba’s Present, Iran’s Future?

While Iranian authorities appear cavalier about the challenges to Iran’s economy under the sanctions regime, reformist Entekhab News, quoting an economist, warned of long-term damage to the country’s industrial infrastructure.

• May 5: Economist Amir-Hossein Khaleqi said in an interview with Entekhab News:
  • “We are facing severe difficulties in providing for our infrastructure, in particular in the fields of electricity and natural gas. Recently, the steel plants complained about energy shortages, showing the sanctions regime has negatively impacted the infrastructure. This is why we have electricity shortages during the summer and natural gas shortages in the winter. When you find yourself under the pressure of the sanctions regime, you live through a state of emergency and have no opportunity to solve the problem … Even the government bureaucracy is impacted under such circumstances. The gravest challenge to our economy is the sanctions issue, and without the removal of the sanctions regime, there is absolutely no way to achieve development and progress.”
  • “Cuba is a good example of this. Look at their cities, where life has been frozen in the past. This will also happen to us … We, however, may have the chance to take advantage of the rivalry among the great powers. We can take advantage of the geopolitical rivalry between China and the United States. We can’t fight the United States and develop. Development means that there is a prospect for progress, but if there is no such prospect on the horizon and the price of foreign currency constantly changes, it is only natural that capitalists don’t think of long-term” investments “and only focus on the short term.”
  • “No country is as capable as ours when it comes to managing sanctions. We can do things to reduce the impact of the sanctions, but we cannot totally neutralize it … We may perhaps not officially declare our losses, and as long as we do not openly admit the losses, we may continue as before despite dismal economic indicators and the country being on the verge of disaster. This is exactly what happened to the Cuban regime. Under such conditions, the situation will certainly deteriorate and a greater part of the population will be exposed to poverty.”

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