Fact-Checking 10 Claims by Ebrahim Raisi; Iran's Economy Has Not Grown

Ebrahim Raisi, the President of the Islamic Republic, claimed on Tuesday, September 7, during a press conference, that Iran's economy has grown, there is stability in domestic politics, and the foreign policy of the Iranian government is dynamic. However, his record and that of his cabinet contradict this trend. The Persian section of 'Voice of America' has examined and fact-checked some of these claims made by Ebrahim Raisi, the head of the Islamic Republic government. Economy and People's Lives Ebrahim Raisi claimed in the press conference that 'we do not connect the economy and the lives of the people to the will of the United States and some European countries.' This statement comes just two weeks after Tehran's extensive efforts and propaganda regarding indirect negotiations with Washington for the exchange of dual-national detainees and the release of six billion dollars of Iran's frozen assets, during which government officials tried to exaggerate the impact of these developments on the economy, diplomacy, especially the decrease in the dollar price, and the revival of the stagnant domestic market. Additionally, the news agency Tasnim claimed that three billion dollars of the released resources were allocated for 'importing essential goods.' Economic Growth of 4 Percent The President of the thirteenth government of the Islamic Republic further stated that following the formation of his government after the June 2021 elections, the country's 'economic growth' has been '4 percent and more' for two consecutive years. In this context, Hajjat Mirzaei, an economist and former official of the Islamic Republic government who previously served as Deputy Minister of Labor under Hassan Rouhani, stated on August 9 in the Tehran newspaper 'Shargh' that the Iranian economy has had 'one of the lowest economic growth rates in the world' since the 1979 revolution, and in the past ten years, the country's economic growth has 'almost reached zero.' Factories Half-Closed and Closed The head of the Islamic Republic's executive branch also stated in this press conference that '5,000 workshops and factories' that he claimed were 'half-closed and closed' have become active during his two years in office. This claim comes a month after the continued wave of closures of old and established factories in Iran, including the pharmaceutical factory 'Alhavi' after 55 years of operation in August this year and the exit of some major pharmaceutical-medical companies from the country. Raisi also mentioned that his government uses 'knowledge-based industries' to introduce the work of young Iranians to other countries to show 'how much scientific capability they have gained and how far technological work in Iran has reached.' This claim is made in a context where, in addition to the increasing number of skilled and educated Iranian migrants to other countries or the widespread migration of simple labor to neighboring countries, the 'age of migration' from Iran or 'desire to migrate' has also significantly decreased, reaching even school-age students. Housing Achievements Not Visible The President of the Islamic Republic also spoke about his government's actions in the housing sector, stating: 'Allocating land and facilities was among the actions of the government in this area, and recently more than 100,000 housing units were delivered to applicants.' Ebrahim Raisi has promised 'to build one million housing units annually' since he took office in June 2021; the Tehran newspaper 'Donya-e-Eqtesad' reported on May 30, citing a report from the Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, that the population suffering from 'housing poverty' in Iran has reached a 'significant record,' with '55 percent' of Iranian households deprived of 'adequate and affordable housing.' He also stated that 'in the seventh program, we have planned to resolve the imbalances in electricity, water, gas, and banking and budgetary imbalances to clarify how gas and electricity production will take place.' Despite these statements, in the past two years, as in previous years, in addition to household and industrial power outages, the increase in banking-budgetary imbalances and gas cuts in winter, water stress in Iran has intensified, to the extent that Ismail Hossein-Zahi, a representative from Sistan and Baluchestan in the Islamic Consultative Assembly, reported in July on the continuation of water shortages and problems for people to continue living in this province, stating that people are at risk of 'forced migration.' Addressing Issues by Expelling Elites The President of the Islamic Republic added: 'Unlike previous officials and governments, we do not overlook issues and use all elites to solve problems.' According to domestic media reports, in recent months, many experienced professors and prominent academic figures in various fields and cities across the country have faced class cancellations, teaching suspensions, contract terminations, or expulsions solely due to their alignment with last year's nationwide protests or support for students. The head of the Iranian Writers' Association has warned that the purges of the 1980s in universities are repeating. Regarding Social Unrest and Repression The head of the Islamic Republic's executive branch also stated about 'the existence of unrest in society': 'I do not believe there is unrest in society; this unrest exists more in the enemy's faction, and they are the ones who are agitated.' These statements were made just weeks before the anniversary of the nationwide protest movement in Iran, referred to as the 'Mahsa Revolution' and 'Women-Life-Freedom Movement,' during which many protesters were arrested, suffered physical harm, or were killed merely for peacefully expressing their demands, and this repression continues. Invisible and Deadly Progress Ebrahim Raisi referred to some conversations he had with 'officials and some statesmen' in certain countries, saying: '[They] ask how you have made progress despite sanctions and threats.' The news agency 'ILNA' reported in August that the fourth worker in the large 'Petrochemical Chavar' complex, who had two children and '18 years of work experience,' committed suicide in the past year due to the economic crisis caused by the mismanagement of the country's economy. In another part of this press conference, he stated that his government's foundation is to ensure 'stability in the market,' and price stability is 'one of the serious programs' of the government, and 'maintaining the value of the national currency' is a serious task on the agenda of the government's economic team. These claims are made at a time when on Tuesday, September 7, the exchange rate of the US dollar against the Islamic Republic's rial is around '500,000 rials,' and Jabbar Kuchakinejad, a member of the Parliament's Program and Budget Commission, announced that contrary to government officials' claims of 'low inflation,' the people do not believe these claims, and the government is seeking to control inflation by 'locking the banking network.' This press conference with representatives of several media outlets was held while, on the eve of the anniversary of last year's protest movement, many journalists, reporters, and photographers in Iranian media remain detained, suspended from activity, undergoing interrogations, or facing the issuance and execution of sentences due to their coverage of events. On September 2, Sepehr Khalaji, the head of the thirteenth government's information council, wrote in a letter to governors, calling for judicial action against journalists who, according to him, harm the 'psychological security' of society.