BEHIND THE IRAN HEADLINES Series, October 29, 2024, Alireza Jafarzadeh, NCRI-US Deputy Director
Khamenei’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, has proposed a budget for the fiscal year that is a clear blueprint for further oppression, warmongering, terrorism, and economic mismanagement. This could very well set the stage for new waves of anti-regime uprisings.
This budget lays bare the regime’s true priorities: escalating spending on military and repressive forces, increasing taxes on ordinary citizens, and draining national resources while ignoring the dire economic needs of the people.
Pezeshkian’s budget is a brazen endorsement of Supreme Leader Khamenei’s agenda to maintain power through brute force. By prioritizing the military, particularly the IRGC, the regime signals its intent to crush any dissent and spread terror and mayhem in the region.
This is no reformist policy—it is a continuation of the same brutal strategy that has led to the execution of over 342 people since Pezeshkian took office. The regime is preparing for an inevitable confrontation with the people, who refuse to be silenced.
One of the most explosive aspects of the budget is the planned cutting off of fuel subsidies, which threatens to drive up prices. History has shown that any attempt to raise fuel costs triggers public outrage. The nationwide protests in November 2019, sparked by a sudden increase in fuel prices, were met with a bloody crackdown. Still, they also exposed the regime’s vulnerability, setting the stage for follow-up uprisings.
Pezeshkian’s earlier promise not to raise prices without public consent is now a hollow gesture, and he should expect the people’s response to be swift and resolute.
Meanwhile, the 39% increase in tax revenue, aimed at plugging budget gaps, unfairly targets small businesses and ordinary citizens, while IRGC-controlled enterprises and entities under Khamenei’s control evade taxation with impunity, as in the past.
By funneling resources into the military while driving up costs for everyday Iranians, Pezeshkian’s budget is only hastening the regime’s downfall. Each oppressive measure fuels the fire of resistance, and this budget will prove to be yet another catalyst for the inevitable overthrow of the clerical regime.