Bezanjan: What Can Ground Us Is Economic Problems

The President of the Islamic Republic of Iran says, "We are not afraid of military war," but "what can ground us is economic problems." Masoud Bezhangian added on Tuesday, November 14: "We are trying to ensure that people are satisfied with the administrative system. Wherever we get stuck, the problem is that we do not have the credit to solve it." He said, "Who said we should make promises that we do not have the money for? We must tell the truth and reality to society." The Iranian President's remarks about efforts to "satisfy the people with the administrative system" and the lack of credit as the main problem come at a time when the Iranian Labor News Agency, ILNA, reported that the plan for "organizing government employees" to reduce the concerns of civil servants has turned into a "confused knot" due to mismanagement. According to this news agency, the plan for "organizing government employees," despite being approved by the parliament and initially confirmed by the Guardian Council, has not reached fruition due to the opposition of the Supreme Supervisory Board of the Expediency Discernment Council. This plan, which aimed to convert the status of contract employees to formal employment in government agencies, has faced many challenges. Each of the involved institutions, from the parliament to the Expediency Council, blames the delay in its approval and implementation on another. This state of uncertainty has affected the lives of employees, and concerns about their job security and livelihoods continue. Bezhangian submitted the 1404 budget bill to the parliament, emphasizing the increase in gasoline prices. Less than two weeks after his victory in the fourteenth presidential election in Iran, Masoud Bezhangian stated that the eight percent economic growth mentioned in Iran's development plans is "not possible without foreign relations." However, in the following weeks and months, he continued to support more groups of militias backed by the Islamic Republic in the region. On Tuesday, Bezhangian said in the midst of his remarks that "I was at the Planning and Budget Organization yesterday, and colleagues said Turkmenistan is unwilling to sign a gas contract with our government." He added, "Now do not make too much news about these; if you do, you do." The Iranian President did not provide further explanation about this matter and its cause. In another part of his statements, without naming Jamshid Sharmeh, a German-Iranian citizen, Bezhangian reacted to his execution and expressed surprise at Germany's protest, saying: They say, why did you not observe "human rights and executed?" He then accused Germany without providing evidence that "it kills children, women, and children, and blocks the way, water, and bread for the people" and continued, "Are you human?" The execution of Jamshid Sharmeh, who was accused by the Islamic Republic of designing a bombing in Shiraz, has faced severe condemnation from German officials and the European Union. After this event, the German ambassador left Iranian soil, and the possibility of reducing the level of diplomatic relations between the two countries and designating the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization has also been raised. Following this execution, the German government extended its travel ban for its citizens to Iran and asked Germans residing in Iran to leave the country. This warning was issued due to concerns about the risk of hostage-taking of German citizens after the execution of Jamshid Sharmeh.