Iran is suffering from a shortage of medicine and medical supplies. But the country’s financial assets are in the hands of a government that uses oil revenues and national resources not to provide medicine, but to carry out various embezzlement schemes to fill the pockets of its greedy officials and finance its malicious goals across the region.

After the recent Debsh tea scandal, there are reports of a large-scale embezzlement case and currency theft for importing rice, to be distributed at the expense of domestic rice farmers. As usual, regime officials will achieve legendary wealth from rice, but the problems of the country and the people will remain unsolved.

As rice was being imported into the country, economists were busy examining the budget bill for the upcoming year. And they were warning about the shortage and difficulties of providing currency for medicine and powdered milk. Meanwhile, regime president Ebrahim Raisi was busy distributing oil revenue among his gang of criminal officials.

On June 26, Tejarat News website wrote, while experts predicted based on the budget bill that in 2023, at least in the second half of the year, there would be a crisis and shortage of medicine in the country, a few days ago, one of the members of the Majlis (parliament) confirmed this prediction and announced, “The situation of medicine in the country has reached a critical stage.”

At the same time, members of the Majlis wrote a letter to regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei regarding the issue of medicine shortage. But being more preoccupied with his regional warmongering and domestic repression projects, Khamenei paid no heed to these requests.

Following a series of unprecedented embezzlements, two members of the Majlis announced that 2 million tons of rice were imported into the country at the exchange rate of 42,000 rials and 285,000 rials per dollar, and it is being sold at the equivalent of the free market exchange rate, which is around 500,000 rials per dollar. This price manipulation took place during the tenure of Raisi’s former Minister of Agriculture. However, the orders for rice imports have continued. Just a few days ago, a ship carrying 350 tons of rice was unloaded at one of Iran’s ports. This amount of rice is not needed domestically, and if it remains in warehouses, it will spoil, and worse yet, it will devastate the northern rice farmers. These hardworking farmers could have produced more than 2 million tons of rice. On December 26, the Econegar website quoted the Secretary of the Rice Association commented as saying, “Even on days when domestically produced rice is available and remains in warehouses, import licenses for rice are easily issued to companies.”

Experts say that the country’s need for rice is approximately 3 million tons. If we assume that 2.25 million tons are produced domestically, then a maximum of 800,000 tons of rice imports would be enough. Any amount of imports exceeding this figure would be a detrimental blow to hardworking farmers.

The Ministry of Agriculture Jihad has become the Mafia’s hideout

The former Minister of Agriculture Jihad has been on trial for a long time as a result of wars between the regime’s factions.

It has been discovered that his ministry had become a hub for looters and embezzlers. But these activities were taking place under the management of Mohammad Mokhber, Raisi’s Vice President.

On December 25, the state-run Ham-Mihan newspaper reported, “Since last week, after several stages of the trial of the former Minister of Agriculture Jihad and recent exposures, it can be said that the Ministry of Agriculture Jihad has become the backyard of the 13^th government.”

Ham-Mihan quoted a member of Majlis, asking the Vice President, “Why has the field been opened for the mafia of rice imports to operate?”

On December 6, Setare Sobh newspaper quoted the head of the Rice Farmers’ Union in Mazandaran as saying, “Government interference in the rice market has disrupted the sale of Iranian rice. Initially, government organizations and offices began buying rice. When their warehouses became full, they raise the price of rice. Whenever they desire, they buy and bring the market down. The fluctuations in the rice market in recent years are due to the intervention of these groups.”

The regime’s agents do not refrain from engaging in any illicit activities to embezzle the money generated from these transactions. The head of the Tehran Food Market Security Board referred to people who are linked to the government and said, “Only special individuals can import rice,” buy and sell rice domestically, manipulate the prices of essential goods, and interfere with the livelihoods of millions of people burdened with poverty and misery. The corruption related to rice, which has paralyzed the economy of the northern region of the country, has left rice traders unable to make a living. All of this is evidence of a completely corrupt mafia-like regime, and only by overthrowing it will the afflictions and calamities that befall the people be alleviated.

Published Date: January 1, 2024