The Deep Impact of Sanctions in the Documentary 'Silent Battle'

Officials of the Islamic Republic have repeatedly claimed that the intensification of international sanctions against Iran has not only had no effect on the country's economic situation but has also led to progress. However, the two-part documentary 'Silent Battle' (Part One, Part Two), produced by 'Safir Film' and directed and produced by Mostafa Rezvani, inadvertently shows the profound impact of sanctions on various economic, political, social, and even cultural aspects in Iran. This 50-minute documentary, produced in 2012, was only shown in universities until recently when the television network 'Ofogh', which has begun its trial broadcasts in collaboration with the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, made it available to the public. 'Safir Film', which started its activities after the events of 2009 in Iran, had previously produced the controversial two-part documentary 'Confrontation' and 'Which Deviation'. The narrator of this documentary, Mohammad Reza Rezvani, former editor of the magazine 'Cinema Media', states that in the fall of 2012, due to the intensification of sanctions, the rising cost of paper, and the government's budget deficit, the magazine, owned by the cultural and artistic institution 'Shaheed Avini', was shut down. Rezvani, who claims to have become 'frustrated' and 'confused' after the closure of 'Cinema Media', visits various industrial and medical sectors in Iran to inquire about the impact of sanctions from specialists and patients in these sectors. A person named Ali Rouhani, introduced in this documentary as a senior economic expert, initially attributes all of the country's problems to the reduction of oil revenues due to sanctions against Iran's oil industry and the decrease in the country's oil imports by Europe and the United States. The film explicitly states that before the intensification of oil sanctions, Iran was able to circumvent sanctions due to significant revenues from oil sales, but the West did everything to pressure the Islamic Republic so that the country would have no money to bypass sanctions and closed its main source of income, which is oil. Masoud Mir Kazemi, former Minister of Oil, tells the narrator that ships coming to transport oil to Iran are questioned and seized, and insurance companies are not allowed to insure ships coming to transport oil to Iranian ports. Mr. Mir Kazemi also confirms the alignment of Iran's oil customer countries like South Korea, India, and Japan with U.S. policies and their refusal to buy Iranian oil. The narrator visits the Red Crescent pharmacy to examine the impact of intensified sanctions on the pharmaceutical industry and the drug market in Iran, where one of the pharmacy staff shows him empty shelves and states that his wife needs specific medications due to a respiratory illness, which Iran can currently only import from India due to sanctions. The pharmacy staff adds that his wife will 'never' use these medications because they are 'worthless' and their distribution is even banned in India, which is a drug producer. Pharmacy staff, pharmacists, and patients complain about the lack of medications for special patients such as hemophiliacs, infant formula, and even some common pills due to the sanctions on Iran's banking routes by the West. One pharmacy staff member states, 'We ourselves are frustrated here, and on average, at least 50 to 60 percent of the prescriptions from visitors are returned due to the lack of medication.' Ahmad Ghavidel, head of the Iranian Hemophilia Association, also states that our access to medication has decreased to one-third after the intensification of sanctions. The documentary states that the amount of some medications for hemophiliac patients has decreased to such an extent that many of them no longer have their necessary medications at home and must visit treatment centers, and one of these patients has died on the way to the hospital. Throughout the film, the narrator raises the question of when the sanctions against Iran will end and suggests that perhaps the Islamic Republic is to blame for this situation, having always wanted to be 'distinct'. The tone of the documentary changes in the second part, after showing the severity of sanctions and their serious impact on Iran's economy and industries, and enters a new phase with the broadcast of statements by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, asserting that sanctions have also had 'positive effects' and have led to the emergence of talents in Iran. Following these statements by Ayatollah Khamenei, the narrator travels to Shiraz and meets with Ahmad Gharishinejad, CEO of 'Patek Shiraz', who claims that his company, which was previously just a small workshop, now manufactures the gas wellheads needed by Iran. These valves are on the list of sanctioned goods, and it is said that if they are not regularly replaced, there is a risk of fire and complete interruption of urban gas supply. After a lengthy broadcast of the manufacturing process of this component, the documentary shows that the CEO of 'Patek Shiraz' was present at the war fronts in the 1980s, and the statements of some of his workshop workers who say they are currently also fighting in another front are emphasized. The documentary states that out of a list of 8,000 items needed for the oil industries in Iran, more than 3,800 items are produced domestically after the intensification of sanctions, indicating that they are on the list of sanctioned goods. The narrator even approaches some citizens and asks them whether sanctions have any benefits for the country, and the interviewees provide both negative and positive responses; shopkeepers complain about the decrease in people's purchasing power, and citizens express concerns about the daily increase in inflation rates in Iran. Haleh Hamidifar, CEO of 'Sina Gen' pharmaceutical company, which produces medications for 'MS', infertility, and cancer, also states that after the sanctions, a crisis in the pharmaceutical sector arose in the country, forcing them to work three shifts to control the market for these products in Iran and meet the needs of patients. Ms. Hamidifar explicitly adds that if this had not happened, a pharmaceutical disaster would have occurred in the country. As the documentary shifts direction, it again references Ali Khamenei's statements that neglecting macroeconomic policies and dependency on oil are 'flaws in our work', attributing the impact of sanctions to internal problems and deficiencies. The oil-dependent economy and the spending of revenues from its sale on current expenses, the managers' dependency on imports, trading in dollars and euros despite differences with the West, significant economic relations with the United Arab Emirates, which is 'under the thumb' of the U.S., widespread corruption in the country, mafia control over domestic markets including the drug market, and the inability to produce domestically are among the criticisms of specialists and some citizens regarding domestic policies in this documentary. The narrator, who is a direct victim of the sanctions and has lost his job, states that for anyone who has benefited from the sanctions, for him, it has only been unemployment and depression, and he has suffered so much over the years and seen so much 'clique politics' that he can become 'indifferent' to everything, and for this reason, he buys a plane ticket to Sweden to start a new life after immigration. This part of the documentary, which can indicate a significant desire for emigration among Iranian citizens following the increase in domestic problems, shifts after an economic expert tells the narrator that despite the difficulties, everyone must endure and remain hopeful for the future. The economic expert adds that Iran must move in such a way that with low oil supply during global demand increases, it can force the West to change its approach, and until that time, we must maintain national pride to overcome the 'pit' of sanctions. The narrator, who until now was seeking answers to the question of whether the origins of sanctions are internal or external, realizes that their impact has affected the lives of millions, and what the fate of such individuals is in this situation, meaningfully decides against emigration, and the plane departs without him from Imam Khomeini Airport towards Stockholm. The documentary 'Silent Battle', which inadvertently shows the impact of international sanctions against the Islamic Republic's nuclear program, implicitly asks the people at the end not to think that the country is in a 'Sha'b Abi Talib' situation and not to utter a single 'ouch' against the hardships and sanctions.