Rouhani in Nowruz Message 2018: Government Committed to 'Employment, Vitality, and Freedom of Youth'

The President of Iran announced in his Nowruz message for 2018 that his government is 'committed' to 'the freedom of youth and their continued access to information.' According to the IRNA news agency, Hassan Rouhani stated on Tuesday, March 20, in his Nowruz message that 'the government is committed to employment, vitality, freedom of youth, and continued access to information.' He emphasized that 'free information means keeping the public updated on global developments,' 'connecting students and researchers with the new knowledge of the world,' and 'new employment' in cyberspace. Rouhani also stressed that his government seeks a 'safe, easy, and affordable cyberspace, combined with ethics and spirituality,' adding that 'under this environment, we will continue the fight against corruption and transparency, and our people will witness greater transparency in the new year.' Rouhani's remarks come as some members of parliament, including Hamideh Zarabadi, reported in recent days about a resolution by the Supreme Council of Cyberspace regarding a deadline for the filtering of Telegram. Mohammad Hossein Pour, the public relations manager of the National Cyberspace Center of Iran, denied these reports on March 17. However, a day later, Abolhassan Firouzabadi, the secretary of the Supreme Council of Cyberspace of Iran, stated, 'If the council reaches the conclusion that the problems with Telegram continue, this virtual network may be temporarily or permanently filtered in the coming months of 2018.' Regarding the protests in December, Rouhani said, 'Our people, when they saw disturbances in the streets and that their community's security might be at risk, came to the scene and loudly declared that criticism and protest are the rights of the people, but the wise nation of Iran will not tolerate lawlessness and violence.' The Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic also expressed similar sentiments in his Nowruz message. These statements from Iranian officials come in the context of the December protests, which ended with a crackdown on demonstrators, resulting in at least 25 deaths and five thousand arrests, according to official reports. The President of Iran also referred to the designation of 2018 as the 'Year of Support for Iranian Goods' by the Supreme Leader, declaring job creation and the fight against poverty as 'two lofty goals' of his government. Rouhani described the 'threefold' increase in the pensions of beneficiaries and retirees of the Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation and the Welfare Organization as 'the first and important step in the fight against poverty.' He also mentioned that the government has attempted to 'balance' workers' wages. Without providing details, Rouhani announced that his government would take 'another significant step in the new year and until the end of the twelfth government' to combat poverty. His statements come amid a 19.8% increase in the minimum wage for workers in 2018, which still does not reach half of the household expenditure basket. The monthly minimum wage for workers has been set at 1,110,000 tomans, while the cost of living for a family of 3.3 people is reported to be 2,600,000 tomans, according to the Mehr news agency citing the Supreme Labor Council's resolution. Rouhani's announcement of his employment plans comes as some experts believe that Iran's economic growth during his administration has stemmed from the lifting of Western sanctions and the resumption of oil sales, which has not positively impacted job creation. For instance, Fereydoun Khavand, an economist based in Paris, previously stated in an interview with Radio Farda that the economic growth rate in Iran is due to increased oil exports and sales, which does not necessarily lead to job creation or improvement in Iran's labor market. Ali Rabiei, the Minister of Labor, Cooperatives, and Social Welfare, has also recently acknowledged that the Iranian economy lacks the 'capacity and capability' to solve the unemployment issue. The President of Iran further stated that diplomats and 'faithful soldiers' of the Islamic Republic were able to bring greater stability and security to the region alongside the people of Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon in 2017. Ayatollah Khamenei also claimed in his Nowruz message that the Islamic Republic turned 'threats into opportunities' in 2017. In 2017, relations between the Islamic Republic and countries such as Saudi Arabia and Bahrain deteriorated, and U.S. President Donald Trump and European countries repeatedly warned about Iran's 'destabilizing actions' in the region.