On December 28, 2017, Iran witnessed protest demonstrations for the third time since 1999 and with those protests protracting to the year 2018, the ongoing economic crisis in Iran marked the first major event at international level for this new year. The current crisis in Iran is entirely different from the last two; the first crisis that began in July 1999 was spurred by the students who came out on the streets for demanding the freedom of speech. The second crisis that broke out in Iran after Ahmadinejad was elected as the President of the country in the year 2009, that was when many Iranians clamoured for recount of disputed votes in the presidential election. The protests that took place in Iran during the previous two crisis waned peacefully, unlike the current one which has so far resulted in the death of more than 20 people.
The western media has remained selective in reporting the nature of current crisis in Iran and have primarily made it look like a political or leadership crisis rather than an economic one in the first place. Donald Trump, his administration and the US press in unison have blamed the President of Iran Hassan Rouhani for failing to revitalise the economy and by showing concern about the protests in Iran, the US president is invoking global solidarity so that the world should view the current Iran crisis emotionally rather than intellectually. The United States is also using its supportive stance for Iranian protesters as a cover to the US-made economic crisis which continues to hurt the livelihood of Iranian badly. The United States, United Nations, European Union and several other individual states imposed sanctions on Iran after its nuclear program became public in the year 2002. United States sees the nuclear capability of Iran as a challenge for its advancement of ‘balance of power’ in the Middle East region due to the latter’s non-compliance with the former.
The sanctions imposed on Iran disallow almost all its trade at International level including the oil export, which drives the economic engine of Iran and the same has incurred loss of billions of dollars to the country; besides, shrinking its GDP. With the isolation of Iran from the International banking, the Iranian rial has downgraded in its value which has resulted in soaring price of foodstuffs and fuel. United States has also frozen the assets of Iranian people and businesses which has compelled the Islamic Republic of Iran to engage in ‘U-Turn Transactions’ – which help the country to transfer its funds through offshore banks in order to avoid US sanctions for the US dollar based transactions and this practice has proved very cumbersome for Iran. Even though Iran is witnessing worst impact of the sanctions, the country continues to raise its efforts to survive the decade long sanctions of United States which have led to the unforeseen repercussion like that of current economic crisis. Given the overreaction of President Trump over Iran crisis, United States is trying to manipulate and mould the ongoing protests to its own benefit. By crippling the economy of Iran, the United States has impeded the vital part of Iran’s national interest which is primarily aimed at checking the expansion of Iran in the Middle East.
Tailpiece: The foreign policy of Iran is apparently more stable than its present domestic policy but in the field of International Relations, the domestic policy of a state is considered to be an integral part of its foreign policy, even a byproduct of it. Although Iran governs a lively foreign policy, It also becomes imperative for the Iran to tackle the fatigue at home.
(The author a student of International Relations at IUST, Awantipora writes on socio-political issues. His views are personal but not of “Kashmir Horizon”)
