Virology Journal Retracts Paper On Iran-Made COVID-19 Vaccine Trials

After enduring a more-than-40% annual inflation rate for the past five years and seeing their purchasing power slashed to a fraction of what it was in 2018, Iranians now have to struggle with rising rents that are surpassing the monthly salary of an ordinary employee.

Iranians voice deep concern on a daily basis on social media about inflation and rising rents. The common thread among these posts is the citizens’ inability to pay rents, particularly in the capital city Tehran.

A user wrote on X: “I realized I only have money for four months of rent, and a little more to cover my monthly expenses. I got a few steps closer to mental breakdown.”

Another X user noted that she was unable to pay her rent last month due to medical expenses, further adding the economic situation in Iran is so dire that a friend asked me to lend him 1 million rials (less than $2) so that he could buy some bread and potatoes. The only cause behind poverty, corruption and exorbitant prices in Iran is the "terrorist regime" of the Islamic Republic, she stressed.

According to a poll conducted in October 2023, housing is the most important issue for Tehran residents, with problems such as low income and general inflation ranking next.

The findings of the poll indicated that rent accounts for an average of more than 50% of a household’s expenses in the capital where residents pay an average of 15 million rials ($300). This is while more than more than 50% respondents of the poll reported their monthly salary as less than 160 million rials ($320).

This has resulted in the migration of some Tehran residents to smaller towns around the capital such as Parand, Pardis, Hashtgerd, and Pakdasht, where they can afford the rents.

According to Iran's leading economic daily Donyaye Eqtesad (World of Economy), the national rent growth in the first half of the year hit a 12-year high of 38.5%.

In 2022, Abdollah Otadi, a board member of the Tehran Real Estate Consultants Union, said rents had risen 300 percent in the last three years in the capital.

Examining the ratio of rent inflation to general inflation in Iran, Etemad daily wrote on Saturday that rent inflation has exceeded the monthly general inflation rate since September. A comparison between rent inflation over the past two years demonstrates that Iranian tenants have had a much tougher time this year to make ends meet, the report added.

The continuous devaluation of the rial, particularly since the US withdrawal from the JCPOA nuclear deal in 2018, has fueled inflation and plunged millions into poverty. Over the past six years, the rial has fallen 15-fold, from 40,000 per dollar to more than 600,000.

Official annual inflation hovers near 50 percent, but the rial’s continuous fall can directly impact prices and push the inflation rate to near hyper-inflation levels in the coming months. Earlier in the month, Eqtesad 24 daily warned that nearly one-third of Iranians struggle below the poverty line. The report projected a worrying escalation in poverty rates, foreseeing that by the end of the current Iranian year on March 20th, “the proportion of individuals below the poverty line could soar to 37 to 40 percent.”

The economic crisis has also eroded the government's legitimacy, with a historic low voter turnout of 40% in the March 1 elections. Experts contend that economic turmoil is likely to worsen in Iran, with no end in site to its confrontational nuclear and regional policies.

Due to the rising inflation rate, real estate, like gold and foreign currencies, has been treated as capital investment in Iran, with many trying to avoid the rapid depreciation of their cash by buying houses and apartments. Real estate prices rise in tandem with the rising dollar.

According to Donyaye Eqtesad, owning a home in Tehran has become virtually impossible while the key indicators of the quality of life are also in decline. The average time people need to save money to be able to buy a residence in Tehran has increased to a staggering 112 years, from about 22 years in 2005, the report added.

Israel Katz slammed the Turkish president's recent stance on Israel, saying "The murders and sex crimes of Hamas against Jews and the State of Israel makes it one of the greatest acts of oppression and antisemitism in history, and Turkey as the biggest supporter of terrorism in the world right after Iran."

In a speech on Saturday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan made comparisons between Netanyahu and historical fascist leaders including the architect of the Holocaust, Adolf Hitler.

Erdogan voiced support for terror group Hamas and the attacks of October 7, instead describing Israel as "the Nazis of our time committing humanitarian crimes in Gaza."

He added, "We cannot be coerced into designating Hamas as a terrorist organization. We communicate with them openly and stand behind them."

On October 7, Iran-backed Hamas killed at least 1,200 mostly civilians in Israel and kidnapped at least 250 more to Gaza.

In a war of words, Netanyahu stated, "Israel observes the laws of war and will not be subject to moral preaching from Erdogan, who supports murderers and rapists of the Hamas terrorist organization, denies the Armenian genocide, massacres Kurds in his own country, and cracks down on regime opponents and journalists."

Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity Party, also slammed Erdogan for his support of Hamas, stating, "Erdogan standing with Hamas makes him a supporter of crimes against humanity, and comparing the Prime Minister of Israel to dictators is the height of hypocrisy."

Despite both countries recalling their ambassadors, their official relations have not been severed.

"As we approach the New Iranian Year, there is a possibility of an increase in the exchange rate," he added. However, he attributed the fluctuation in the US dollar price to peripheral issues such as the ongoing conflict in Gaza, sparked by Iran-backed Hamas's invasion of Israel on October 7.

The ensuing regional conflict, backed by Iran's proxies, has further fueled a collapse of the country's economy with yet more sanctions following actions by militants from Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Lebanon.

His warning comes amidst growing criticism of the Iranian regime's inefficiency in managing prices, foreign policies, and the impact of nuclear sanctions, all of which have contributed to the current economic situation. Rahimi's remarks signal further depreciation of the Iranian rial, which has already experienced a significant decline. Since early January, the US dollar has surged from 500,000 rials to over 600,000, marking a 20 percent increase against the Iranian currency.

The official annual inflation rate stands near 50 percent, but the rapid depreciation of the rial could push inflation to hyper-inflation levels in the coming months.

The devaluation of the rial has been a prolonged trend since the 1979 revolution but intensified notably in 2018 following the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal and the subsequent sanctions on Iran's oil exports and banking sector. Remarkably, the currency was valued at 70 rials per dollar in 1978.

The sharp depreciation of the rial has exacerbated inflationary pressures over the past five years, pushing millions of Iranians below the poverty line.

The arrests prevented an attack on a foreign businessman, according to a statement by APEC's Peru office, which is currently attached to the foreign ministry.

A spokesperson for Peru's Interior Ministry also ruled out a link between the captures and the forum.

Peru's chief of police, Oscar Arriola, told a press conference on Friday the arrests were made after an investigation in coordination with international intelligence agencies, which provided "sensitive" information about an Iranian citizen who arrived in Peru at the beginning of March.

"We had to act quickly because today (the Iranian) was set to return to Iran after forming a terrorist cell to wipe out an Israeli national", Arriola said.

Other police sources had said preliminary findings indicated a possible attack targeting an Israeli at the forum.

Both the Iranian, whom Arriola identified as 56-year-old Majid Azizi, and the Peruvian were arrested on Thursday, he said. Azizi also holds Peruvian nationality by marriage, Arriola said.

Arriola said authorities had identified the Israeli who would have been targeted in the attack, though they were choosing not to release the person's name due to security reasons.

(Report by Reuters)

The Houthi operation –largest reported to date– was against a Singapore-flagged cargo ship and several American warships. The Houthis’ military spokesman, Yahya Saree, confirmed the strike and said the attacks would continue “until the aggression stops and the siege on the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip is lifted.”

The Houthis have been targeting commercial vessels (and often US warships) in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden since November, disrupting global maritime trade, forcing major shipping companies out of the region, sinking one ship and killing three civilian crew members. The attacks began after Iran's ruler Ali Khamenei called for Muslims to "blockade" Israel.

Their ‘swarm’ attack Saturday may be seen as a significant escalation, since it’s much more likely that one out of the many drones flying together evades the defense systems and hits a US warship – which would force the Biden administration to elevate the leval of its response, possibly even targeting Iranian assets.

This time, however, “no U.S. or Coalition Navy vessels were damaged in the attack and there were also no reports by commercial ships of damage”, according to US Central Command. The action was taken “to protect freedom of navigation and make international waters safer and more secure.”

Earlier this week, CENTCOM commander General Michael Kurilla warned about the threat of ‘swarm’ attacks in a US Senate Armed Service Committee hearing. He said such an attack was a “bigger concern” than single missile or drone strikes and needed “investment” in technologies to ensure it could be countered.

“Nothing is 100 percent,” Kurilla said. “At some point, the law of statistics will come up to you. You have to have a layered defense.”

Russia has used swarm attack tactics in Ukraine using Iranian kamikaze drones to overwhelm air defenses, with the aim of getting its ballistic missiles through the net.

The CENTCOM commander drew a worrying picture of Iran’s position as the key force behind many armed groups in the region, which act against US interests. He stopped short of criticizing the Biden administration, however, as it tries in vain to establish deterrence.

“Iran is undeterred in support to the Houthi,” Kurilla said, “they are undeterred in their support to Hezbollah, their support to Hamas, the support into the West Bank. They are deterred right now in Iraq and Syria and their support to the Iranian aligned militia groups, but not in terms of attacks, but not necessarily in terms of their funding and equipping.”

Ever since Hamas’ rampage of Israel on October 7 and the ensuing Israeli onslaught on Gaza, Iran has intensified its indirect campaign against American and Israeli interests, utilizing armed groups that it funds, equips, trains across the Middle East.

Critics of the Biden administration blame the US President and his team for having eroded deterrence and emboldened Iran and its proxies in the past few years. The only solution, they maintain, is to make the regime in Tehran ‘feel the heat’ and pay the ‘cost’ of their malign activities.

A case in point is the fate of the Iran spy ship Behshad, which has been the subject of intense scrutiny within maritime circles –many believing that it is helping Houthis with intelligence on commercial sea traffic, effectively enabling their attacks. And still no one, the US government in particular, is willing to take action against it.

The Biden administration and the coalition forces fear that sinking (or targeting) Behshad would put them at war with Iran and further complicate what seems to be an intractable crisis in the Middle East. Iran has threatened that attacking Behshad would jeopardize “international maritime routes” and would bring about “future international risks.”

Concerns about Behshad’s role have sharpened after the fatal attack on cargo ship True Confidence, which killed three of the vessel's crew. According to a report in the Financial Times Saturday, Behshad was 43 nautical miles away when the True Confidence was struck.

The report quotes experts who have studied Behshad’s recent behavior and have concluded that it’s “extremely unusual”. And still no one is willing to confront it.

“Whilst I’d like to see some kind of kinetic action against Behshad, I’m not sure we’ll see that in the near term,” the Financial Times quoted a maritime security expert in its report Saturday.