Income and Expenditure in the First Five Months of the Year; A Deficit of '47 Trillion Tomans' in Rouhani's Government Budget

The newspaper Etemad reports in its front page titled "Global Reaction to Trump's Remarks" that "The Prime Minister of the UK, the Chancellor of Germany, and the President of France have announced their support for the JCPOA in a joint statement." The newspaper also quotes Federica Mogherini, the EU's foreign policy chief, stating: "The JCPOA is not a bilateral agreement and no country can terminate it." It further notes: "Trump's speech has exacerbated the already tumultuous relations between Iran and the US, and instead of canceling the JCPOA, the White House has prioritized threats for more pressure along with the approval of new sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran." Abolghasem Qasemi wrote in Etemad: "Trump lacks a necessary and strong strategy for the Middle East, and all his power plays are based on trial and error, leaving the Middle East entangled in the complexities of crisis," adding that "Iran will face a difficult path with Trump, but the costs for the US in the crisis-ridden Middle East will gradually increase." The government-aligned newspaper Iran reflected on the American President's remarks about the Iranian people in its Sunday issue, quoting a citizen who said Trump's positions "were predictable for our people, and therefore did not have a negative impact in terms of fear of potential future decisions regarding the JCPOA." Another citizen told the newspaper: "What is more important these days is strengthening the domestic economy through combating rent-seeking and corruption while drafting supportive laws for the private sector, as a strong economy is a good tool for powerful foreign policy presence." Another Tehran citizen remarked: "With Rouhani's remarks, I felt we have a president who defends our people's rights timely and effectively, using defensible rhetoric," but a "young woman" also commented on the speeches of the Iranian and American presidents, stating: "I had not seen Rouhani speak so sharply and clearly before. This seemed both positive and concerning in terms of adopting harsh positions." She expressed hope that, given European countries' support for Iran, the emerging issues would continue to be resolved diplomatically and peacefully, avoiding a repeat of the unfavorable situation experienced before the JCPOA. The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, dedicated its front page to remarks by Mohammad Javad Zarif, the foreign minister of Rouhani's government, stating: "We are all guardians." Yadollah Javani, former head of the political office of the Revolutionary Guards, wrote in Javan that "Americans think that by accusing the Guards of supporting terrorism and sanctioning them, they can erode the Guards' power and capabilities," adding that "the Revolutionary Guards possess unknown capacities against the enemy and will turn the threat of sanctions and pressure from the US and its allies into a golden opportunity." Kayhan also advised government officials in its front page: "Now that you have listened to the critics of the JCPOA, change your course." The newspaper pointed out that Rouhani said in a meeting with the new Czech ambassador on Saturday: "As long as the opposing parties adhere to the JCPOA, we will adhere to it," interpreting this statement as meaning that until now, the parties to the JCPOA, including the US, have adhered to the agreement, and if one party fails to comply in the future, Iran will also cease to comply. Kayhan described these remarks and the government's reactions to the US President's statements as a "passive trend," noting that it was expected that "the government, particularly the diplomatic apparatus, would prepare an executable and operational package for this day, but surprisingly, senior government officials held a history and geography class and reduced Iran's response to this level." The newspaper Jahan San'at reported in its front page titled "The Situation Will Not Get Worse" that "Whenever the US President takes a stance on Iran, the economic situation inside the country reacts strangely. This was clearly evident last weekend, as many people formed long queues at exchange offices to buy currency out of fear of rising dollar prices, while some experts believe that Iran's economic situation is so poor that Trump's words cannot worsen it further." The newspaper stated: "Trump's remarks have not had a specific impact on the market; rather, it is the policies of the country's officials that have brought about new changes in the market. Recently, following the rise in dollar prices, which seems to have been done to cover the government's budget deficit, there are whispers about the dollar price reaching 4800 tomans." Jahan San'at also reported in another article titled "Oil Giants at a Crossroads of Staying or Leaving" that "In the two years since the nuclear agreement between Iran and world powers, Western companies have entered the economy of this country, but now, as Trump seeks to undermine this international agreement, the managers of these companies must decide whether to stay in or leave Iran." The newspaper emphasized that "Iran's oil and gas condensate customers have also been preparing for the conditions of oil sanctions against Iran since last month," adding that "some of these customers intend to replace Iranian oil with American oil in the event of Iranian oil sanctions." The newspaper Etemad reported on the possibility of lifting the suspension of the Zoroastrian member of Yazd City Council, attributing it to "Parliament's support for religious minorities." According to the newspaper, four representatives of Yazd province, including Mohammad Reza Tabesh, representative of Ardakan, Abolfazl Mousavi, representative of Yazd, Kamal Dehghani, representative of Taff and Meybod, and Mohammad Reza Sabaghian, representative of Mehriz and Bafq, along with Esfandiar Ekhtiyari, representative of Zoroastrians in Parliament, wrote a letter to Ali Larijani, the Speaker of Parliament, requesting the review and lifting of the suspension of Sepanta Niknam's membership in Yazd City Council. Etemad also noted that "the temporary suspension of Sepanta Niknam, a Zoroastrian member of Yazd City Council, dates back to a ruling by Branch 45 of the Administrative Justice Court on September 4 this year, which was issued based on a new interpretation by the Guardians Council's jurists of Clause 1 of Article 26 of the Council Elections Law. The complainant was 'Ali Asghar Bagheri,' a losing candidate in Yazd City Council and a figure close to the Ansar Hezbollah in this province." The newspaper Shahrvand reported that "A fire in the ICU section of Hazrat Fatemeh Hospital in Miyandoab has resulted in one death and three injuries." According to the newspaper, just before 3 AM on Saturday, a loud explosion was heard from the intensive care unit of this medical center, and "the fire erupted from the ICU and smoke filled the entire hospital. Hospital staff immediately acted to extinguish the fire and assist patients trapped in the ICU and simultaneously informed the fire department, and with the presence of firefighters and cooperation from hospital staff, efforts to control the fire and rescue patients inside the ICU began simultaneously." Shahrvand noted that rescue teams "rescued five patients trapped in the fire from this section," stating that patients hospitalized in this section "were transferred by emergency personnel to the ICU of Abbasi Hospital, but in this incident, one of the patients hospitalized in this section lost their life due to the severity of the explosion and severe burns in the first moments of the incident." The newspaper Bahar, on the occasion of "World Food Day," emphasized that "a global famine is on the way," stating that "more than one billion people, or one in every six people, are suffering from hunger or malnutrition, most of whom live in developing countries." The newspaper wrote that although according to statistics published by international organizations such as FAO and UNESCO, Iran is in a relatively good position in terms of food production and per capita food consumption, given the country's increasing population in the coming years and the fact that Iran is geographically considered a dry and low-rainfall area, special attention to food security and safety and having a cohesive program to improve nutritional quality in the country is inevitable. Arman Khalighi, Deputy of the House of Industry and Mine of Iran, told Bahar: "Currently, 23 million tons of food are wasted in the country." He added: "By managing the 23 million tons of food waste in the country and reducing it to two-thirds of this amount, we can save more than 9 billion dollars in the country, which is a significant figure." The newspaper Shargh reported that "Five months into the year, the government has exhausted its entire budget, and what’s worse, it has incurred a deficit of about 47 trillion tomans; a deficit that has surpassed that of the previous two years and highlights the growing deficit." According to Shargh, "This performance indicates a recurring mismatch between income and expenditure, which has been repeatedly warned about, and no effective solution has been provided to resolve this issue, while the government continues to increase its debts." The newspaper noted that "it is not unreasonable that the government's debt to the Central Bank and banks is becoming increasingly evident, as part of the deficits has been compensated by the government using temporary funds, leaving a debt burden for itself. Additionally, these statistics indicate that despite a 97% increase in oil revenues, the infrastructure and construction sector has not fared well, receiving only a 7% share of the budget." Hadi Haqshenas, an economist, emphasized that "the figure of 47 trillion tomans is a significant number in securing the country's public budget," telling Shargh that "the government's budget deficit, just five months into the year, arises from the failure to realize oil revenues, failure to achieve tax revenues, and failure to sell companies and treasury bonds." The newspaper Hamdeli quoted the CEO of the Social Services Organization of Tehran Municipality as saying: "90% of street children are subjected to sexual abuse," a piece of news that "may be overlooked at first glance, but its tragic depth becomes evident with a moment's reflection on the words and numbers, and even more tragic is that this statistic is provided by an official body like Tehran Municipality." In this context, Haidari-Fard: Dispatching to Kahrizak was my order.