Friday, November 30, 2012
Elder of ZiyonAccording to the report, Iranian officials privately admit the country is not in a good position to meet external challenges, especially with regard to Syria ansd the nuclear issue, although Tehran is trying to show a united front in the statements of its officials.
The report says Iran is currently facing the most serious crisis since the founding of the Islamic Republic in 1980. According to the report, the cause of these concerns is the combination of economic mismanagement by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and severe sanctions imposed on Iran after failing to convince the world that its nuclear program has no military dimensions. The report added that this would lead to social unrest on a large scale in the country.
Iran faces major problems in securing imports of agricultural materials and food, as a result of tough sanctions imposed by the United States and Europe on the economy, including a ban on imports of Iranian oil and the prohibition of financial transactions and banking with Tehran.
The report says that the Iranian government is currently struggling to meet their need to import more than 10 million tons of wheat per month, and they have been forced to bring in stocks of lower-quality grain. Prominent Iranian leaders are also concerned of a potential government inability to pay the salaries of its staff, warning that this in particular would be a flashpoint to trigger demonstrations and unrest throughout the country.
Some senior officials hope the election of a new president in the next year will improve the situation, but this seems unlikely as long as the sanctions for Iran's refusal to comply with its nuclear obligations and to cease its enrichment activities continues.
The greatest impact of the sanctions on Iran came after the European Union's decision to stop importing Iranian oil from July, according to the report.
