The Government's Formula for Housing Construction: Cheap Oil for the Chinese, Chinese Homes for Iranians

A construction industry official has stated that the housing construction by the Chinese relates to the issue of "oil barter." According to him, this arrangement is intended to allow the Chinese to receive Iranian oil at a lower price. These remarks come from the head of the National Association of Builders, who mentioned that since details of this barter have not been published, "I cannot make a comparison and tell you exactly what has attracted them." The website "Khabar Online" has published these statements quoting Iraj Rahbar, which somewhat clarifies the reason behind the Islamic Republic's green light for Chinese companies to enter the construction industry. The news site also quoted housing market analysts stating that "unfortunately, despite all the slogans being made, no problems have been solved, so foreigners are not going to solve our problems either." Khabar Online traced the story of Chinese housing construction back to the fall of 2021, coinciding with the start of government housing construction under President Ebrahim Raisi, noting that there had been no further discussions on the matter until now, when the situation has taken a new turn. The news agency referred to comments made by Hamidreza Sarmi, the Deputy for Urban Planning and Architecture of Tehran Municipality, who, in an interview with the newspaper "Donya-e-Eqtesad" published on January 31, announced a plan for "neighborhood construction by private Chinese construction companies on a large scale of over 1,000 units" on "brownfield" lands or reserve lands in Tehran's districts 9 to 16. Following this, Lotfollah Forouzandeh, Deputy to Tehran Mayor Alireza Zakani, on February 14, explained why construction in Tehran was handed over to Chinese companies, stating, "We brought the Chinese to build houses in Tehran because we do not have the technology for industrial housing construction ourselves." As the issue of Chinese involvement in Iran's construction industry intensified, the Secretary of the Housing and Building Builders Association also announced that China would transfer its prisoners to Iran for housing construction. Ramin Ghoran stated that those imprisoned in China are being transferred to other countries for work at lower wages. In response to these remarks, the Minister of Housing in Ebrahim Raisi's government announced on Wednesday, February 21, that "we need more financial resources than technology." Reports indicate that companies active in the Chinese construction industry have over $390 billion in debt, which poses significant risks to their presence in Iran. The Ebrahim Raisi administration, which began its activities with the slogan of constructing one million housing units annually, has yet to launch any significant projects in this area after more than two and a half years. The housing crisis in Iran; the controversy over sending Chinese criminals for housing construction in Iran. The issue of employing Chinese criminals in Iran for housing construction; an interview with Ali Ramazaniyan. The Minister of Roads' reaction to importing workers and housing technology from China: we are looking to attract foreign investment. The "National Housing Movement" has been halted due to rising dollar prices. A parliament member confirmed; an agreement with China for "bartering" oil for housing. "Garlic" and "wheat" in exchange for "housing"; the desperate builders' solution to attract buyers.