Faced with economic woes and political rivals, Pezeshkian turns to poetry

He made the proposal on Wednesday during a meeting with Iranians residing in Azerbaijan, where he partook in the Asian Inter-Parliamentary Assembly.

"We believe that for each continent, one Iranian living abroad should come to the parliament as a representative and, with seasonal or monthly visits to their constituency, follow up on the issues of Iranians residing abroad through embassies or consulates," he said.

Ghalibaf pointed out that despite the population of approximately six million Iranians living abroad, they have no representation in the parliament, while religious minorities with much smaller populations have members.

The speaker stressed the necessity of hearing the voices of Iranians abroad in the parliament, saying that this requires institutional and structural work and the implementation of all legal regulations for holding elections.

He said that this measure could pave the way for investment from abroad, adding that it would establish a systematic connection with Iranian citizens who live outside of Iran but are devoted to their homeland.

According to Ghalibaf, the reform will be continued in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He sidestepped the issue of conflicting loyalties, though naturalization processes in many countries require an oath of allegiance to the new nation.

While dual citizens can serve in their original country's parliament, the potential for divided loyalties remains a complex issue, addressed differently by various countries.

"The US has entered a new era, characterized by the emergence of an international dictatorship led by Donald Trump. He wants to be a king rather than a president," he said on X.

US President Donald Trump is facing widespread criticism after referring to himself as a king on social media, following his administration’s decision to revoke New York City's congestion pricing program.

On Wednesday, after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul terminating the federal agreement supporting the program, Trump took to Truth Social, saying: "CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!"

The White House later amplified Trump’s statement by sharing it on social media, along with a digitally altered image of him grinning on a fake Time magazine cover, wearing a golden crown, with the New York City skyline in the background.

Referring to US-Russia negotiations over Ukraine that began earlier this week in Riyadh—talks that notably excluded Kyiv—the newspaper speculated on Wednesday that these discussions could lead to a Moscow-Washington agreement. Such a deal, it argued, might see Russia securing territorial gains in Ukraine in return for granting Washington more leverage to protect Israel’s interests in the Middle East.

“Iran will be drawn into this equation alongside Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Palestine… and Russia will turn a blind eye to any actions the United States may take against Iran,” the newspaper wrote in an editorial titled “Us and the Great Moscow-Washington Deal.” This editorial has been widely covered by other media outlets in Iran.

The article accused Russia of failing to support Iranian forces in Syria in the past when Israeli jets targeted their positions and of collaborating with the US and Israel against Iran’s ally, Bashar al-Assad, when Tahrir al-Sham militia forces made advances against his troops.

Jomhouri Eslami warned that Moscow could betray Iran again if Washington helps Russia emerge victorious in Ukraine. The paper urged Iranian authorities to remain vigilant and strategize ways to mitigate the consequences of such a deal.

A similar concern was raised by the reformist Shargh daily in an article titled “Will Tehran Be Sacrificed in a Trump-Putin Deal?” The publication urged Iranian authorities to swiftly decide whether to pursue direct negotiations with the United States over its nuclear program.

Foreign relations expert Rahman Ghahramanpour, interviewed by Shargh, suggested that any deal between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin would first impact European nations that have supported Ukraine. However, he acknowledged that Iran’s position could become a bargaining chip in future discussions, given Moscow’s role in Iran’s 2015 nuclear agreement, the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA).

Meanwhile, Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov attempted to reassure Iran, stating in an exclusive interview with Iran’s official news agency (IRNA) on Wednesday that Moscow’s talks with the United States would not impact its relations with Tehran. Peskov confirmed that Iran’s nuclear program was mentioned in a February 12 phone call between Trump and Putin but insisted it was not a primary topic of discussion.

Peskov told IRNA that the cooperation between Iran and Russia was independent of the relations between the Kremlin and the White House. Peskov confirmed that Iran's nuclear program had been “mentioned” in the Trump and Putin’s phone call on February 12, but said it had not been a primary topic in the two presidents’ talk.

Iran faces a limited timeframe, as the European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal could invoke the “snapback” mechanism in October, reinstating UN sanctions lifted under the agreement. In an interview with RIA Novostiast last week, Russia’s envoy in Tehran, Alexey Dedov, emphasized the importance of Russia and China in any nuclear negotiations, stating, “Without Russia and China, such discussions will not reach their goals and will remain unproductive.”

Trump has signaled a preference for striking a deal with Tehran but has also made clear that, failing diplomatic progress, he would not hesitate to consider military options to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Iran has sought to deepen ties with Russia and China in line with Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei’s “Look East” policy in the past few years. This approach, which hardliners have actively promoted, posits that closer relations with non-Western powers will bolster Iran’s development and resilience against US pressure and sanctions. However, economic sanctions imposed by Trump in 2018 have led to a deep economic crisis in Iran, without any decisive assistance by Russia and China.

Trump’s stance on the Ukraine war and the concessions he appears willing to make to Putin have been widely criticized by US politicians and media, including by some conservatives who fear that bypassing Kyiv in negotiations could have serious security implications for Ukraine and its European allies.

In February, Iran’s Pharmaceutical Association sent a letter to Ali Ahmadian, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council, highlighting the government’s failure to pay its debts to pharmacies—estimated in the hundreds of millions of dollars, according to media reports.

The financial strain has severely disrupted pharmacies’ cash flow, hindering medicine procurement and availability. The letter warned that the crisis poses a serious threat to public health.

The head of Iran’s Medical Council (IRIMC), the non-governmental body responsible for medical licensing and regulation, also recently wrote to President Masoud Pezeshkian, raising concerns over delayed government payments to pharmacies.

The issue stems from government agencies such as the State Welfare Organization failing to pay their share of the cost of medicines dispensed to patients.

To keep essential medicines affordable, the Iranian government tightly regulates pharmaceutical prices and provides subsidies.

In 2022, President Ebrahim Raisi’s administration increased the official foreign currency exchange rate for medicine and medical equipment imports from 42,000 to 285,000 rials per dollar—nearly a seven-fold rise. Current free market exchange rate is more than 900,000 rials per dollar.

Authorities defended the move as an effort to curb the smuggling of subsidized medicine to neighboring countries. Another price increase of at least 20% is expected in the next Iranian calendar year, starting March 20, when new government exchange rates take effect.

In January, Iran’s Central Bank reported that it had allocated $3.4 billion for medicine, medical equipment, and pharmaceutical ingredients since late March 2024. Of this amount, $2.4 billion was provided to importers at the preferential rate of 285,000 rials per dollar.

Since March, the rial has depreciated sharply, plummeting from approximately 600,000 to over 900,000 per dollar in the open market.

Pharmaceutical companies report that currency shortages and the depreciation of the rial have significantly increased the cost of both imported medicines and domestically produced drugs that rely on imported ingredients.

The shortage of foreign currency allocated for medicine imports has fueled a thriving black market, where vital medications—especially those for cancer and rare diseases—are sold at exorbitant prices.

Despite these rising costs, strict government price controls have rendered the production of certain medicines unprofitable, leading some companies to discontinue manufacturing essential drugs.

Annual inflation has risen by around 40 percent, each year in the past five years, and the rial has lost 95% of its value since 2018 when Donald Trump withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal and re-imposed draconian sanctions on the country.

The economic strain has taken a heavy toll on Iranian households. The massive depreciation of the rial and high inflation have drastically increased the cost of living, including expenses for food, housing, and healthcare and driven over 30 percent of the population below the poverty line.

According to Iran’s Statistical Center, healthcare accounts for approximately 10% of urban household expenditures.

Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarghandi recently acknowledged that high medical costs are pushing many families into poverty, with lower-income groups often forgoing necessary treatments due to financial constraints.

Further compounding the crisis, Iran’s healthcare system has been hit by a mass exodus of doctors and nurses in recent years. Many medical professionals have emigrated to countries like Oman in search of better wages and improved living conditions, exacerbating the strain on Iran’s healthcare sector.

While officials deny that war is imminent, they acknowledge that diplomacy is no longer on the table.

Ahmad Bakhshayesh, a member of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, addressed the military budget increase which was announced in October when President Masoud Pezeshkian submitted the budget plan to the parliament for approval.

“It cannot be interpreted exactly in that way, but a significant increase in the military budget means that we are not negotiating and negotiations are not on our agenda,” Bakhshayesh told Ruydad 24 website.

Fatemeh Mohajerani, the government spokesperson, had announced a 200% increase in the military budget during a press conference in October saying that the purpose of the is move was to "strengthen the country's defense capabilities."

The budget for Iran’s armed forces was 7,220 trillion rials in last year’s budget bill. Given the exchange rate defined in that budget (330,000 rials per dollar), Iran’s military budget the last year could be estimated at $15.7 billion.

Based on this, the allocated budget for Iran’s armed forces in the coming year will likely be around 21,660 trillion rials. Given the exchange rate defined in the new year budget (570,000 rials per dollar) Iran’s military budget could be estimated at $46 billion.

The announcement follows increasingly aggressive rhetoric from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and senior commanders of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), who have repeatedly signaled readiness for military confrontation.

On Tuesday, IRGC Aerospace Force Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh said another attack on Israel, dubbed True Promise III, is in the cards.

“Iran’s third attack on Israel, True Promise 3, will definitely take place, but officials have planned for it and will use it strategically—we will not waste it,” Hajizadeh said.

He also warned that an assault on Iran’s nuclear facilities would trigger widespread conflict in the region.

Hajizadeh’s comments came after US President Donald Trump threatened Iran with an Israeli military strike if it refused to halt its nuclear program.

Meanwhile, officials the Pezeshkian administration, who previously advocated diplomacy, have shifted their stance, aligning with Khamenei’s hardline position against negotiations with the US—a stance he emphasized in a speech earlier this month.

“Today, in terms of hard defense and military threats from enemies, we have no concerns or problems,” Khamenei also said in one of his recent speeches.

The new year’s budget bill projects 1.75 million barrels of oil exports per day, with 420,000 barrels allocated to the military—equivalent to 24% of total exports. In monetary terms, the armed forces will receive €11 billion worth of oil, up from €4 billion in the previous year.

This nearly threefold increase means the military’s oil revenue will exceed the government’s by 520 trillion rials ($565 million).

Hajizadeh acknowledged that the military buildup is a response to growing tensions. “War conditions don’t always mean attacking—we must also prepare for being attacked,” he said, adding that heightened tensions have secured increased government funding.

Iran’s two previous attacks on Israel cost an estimated 1,380 trillion rials ($1.5 billion)—or 16 million rials ($17) per citizen. Meanwhile, over 60 million Iranians—70% of the population—rely on government food coupons for essential goods, yet the budget for these subsidies has been cut by 33%, dropping from €16 billion to €12 billion for the next year.

At the same time, the government lacks the funds to finance the food coupons and has resorted to withdrawing from the National Development Fund with the Supreme Leader’s approval.

With military spending surging, funds for vital imports—including medicines, infant formula, and livestock feed—have been slashed, driving up prices. Even before the next fiscal year begins, over 400 Social Security-covered medicines have already seen price hikes.

At least one third of Iranians are already living below the poverty line while workers strikes continue demanding unpaid wages.