Ahmad Jannati: Corruption Prevails in Some Administrative and Judicial Bodies

Ahmad Jannati, the Secretary of the Guardian Council, stated on Thursday that the social conditions in Iran are a significant factor in the drought and claimed that bribery and lawlessness are rampant in some administrative and judicial bodies of the country. Jannati's remarks were reported by the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA) on Thursday, August 1, and were accompanied by strong criticism of the social conditions in Iran. According to this official of the Islamic Republic, 'numerous sins have gripped our society today... and why should we not believe that droughts, lack of blessings, and famine are a result of sins' because 'sin causes calamities to descend upon humans.' Iran is facing a drought crisis that has severely damaged the country's environment, drying up numerous wetlands and lakes, including Lake Bakhtagan, Hamun, Urmia, and Gavkhouni Wetland. Meanwhile, Jannati described the social conditions in Iran as dire, stating that this issue has 'resulted in the withdrawal of divine mercy and His wrath.' He expressed, 'In terms of social issues, our situation is very bad. Disorder, lawlessness, and corruption are rampant in some administrative and judicial bodies, and usury has become widespread. Some banks officially give usury. In the market, usury is openly consumed. The ruling on usury is worse than incest.' Iran ranks among the countries with the highest levels of administrative corruption, having been ranked 144th out of 177 countries in the 2013 Transparency International report. However, this statistic improved slightly in 2014, with Iran rising to 136th place. The head of Iran's General Inspection Organization has also recently criticized the performance of oversight bodies in combating corruption, stating that 'the law has been neglected in Iran in recent years.'