{"id":7504,"date":"2020-02-06T15:26:58","date_gmt":"2020-02-06T12:26:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/?p=7504"},"modified":"2020-02-06T15:27:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-06T12:27:00","slug":"the-defenders-of-the-holy-shrines-suppressed-protests-in-november-2019-journalists-ordered-not-to-report-on-flights-between-iran-and-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/monitoring-and-translation\/iran-in-a-week\/the-defenders-of-the-holy-shrines-suppressed-protests-in-november-2019-journalists-ordered-not-to-report-on-flights-between-iran-and-china\/","title":{"rendered":"The Defenders of the Holy Shrines Suppressed Protests in November 2019; Journalists Ordered not to Report on Flights Between Iran and China"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Policymaking Under US\nSanctions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The editorial of Donya-e-Eghtesad asks that if for some\nreason, there are no changes in US sanctions in the short run, how can the\neconomic damage be reduced under US sanctions and how can the economic crisis\nbe prevented?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are short-term and long-term impacts of US sanctions.\nThe most important short-term impact of the sanctions is a drop in oil exports\nresulting in a decrease in oil revenues and a larger budget deficit. Also,\namong other short-term impacts of US sanctions, we can mention a decrease in\nforeign non-oil trade, a decrease in the country\u2019s currency revenues, increased\npolitical instability and further market instability over the past two years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The important point here is that many of the government\u2019s\ncurrent policies are in contradiction with what is required to confront US sanctions.\nWith a continuation of the current policies, they are likely to result in a\nsevere budget deficit, high inflation, instability in the markets, a drop in\ninvestment, and a recession in manufacturing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, if the current policies and practices are\nchanged and real reforms are implemented, the impacts of US sanctions, at least\nin the short term, can be reduced and widespread crisis and instability can be\nprevented. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result of US sanctions, the government\u2019s revenues have\ndecreased, and the government is facing a mounting budget deficit. The issue is\nsensitive because foreign sanctions have suddenly decreased government\nrevenues, making it impossible for the government to adopt any structural\nreform initiatives when forming its financial and budget plans. Instead of\nundertaking financial reform, the government has implemented measures that will\ncreate the grounds for an increase in inflation in the future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If policymakers want to decrease economic damage due to US\nsanctions, they must give priority to two issues: 1) economic stability and 2)\navoiding any disturbance in the markets. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It can be said that even though sanctions will result in\nlong-term impacts with weakening economic growth capacity, economic damage can\nbe reduced by undertaking financial and budget reforms, thus preventing crisis\nand instability in the economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Donya-e-Eghtesad<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workers and the Sad\nStory of Their Wages<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we get closer to the beginning of Iran\u2019s new year\n(starting on March 21), the issue of determining minimum wages for workers is\nonce again raised. The editorial of Tejarat Online explains why the minimum\nwage is not enough to provide for workers\u2019 expenses, which is why the majority\nof them live below the poverty line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each and every year, as we get closer to the end of the\nyear, trilateral negotiations involving worker representatives, employers and\nthe government over wages occur and become one of the most important concerns\nof Iranian workers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the past few years, as expenses increased and incomes\ndecreased, these meetings were sometimes filled with tension, resulting in\nendless arguments between the workers\u2019 and employers\u2019 representatives. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Due to new disagreements over how to set wages and the\ncriteria for determining livelihood baskets and the inflation rate, meetings\nheld for setting wages for the upcoming year usually drag into the new year.\nThe root cause of the differences can be found by analyzing the views of\nworkers and employers regarding wage determination.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Workers hold that the set wages must be in line with their\nlivelihood basket which, for example, in 2019 was set at 3,760,000 tomans. This\nbasket is an aggregate price of some essential goods and household expenses and\nis one of the most important indexes for determining wages each year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A look at the significant difference between the livelihood\nbasket and the minimum wage in 2019 \u2013 set at 1.5 million tomans \u2013 indicates the\ndifficulty workers are experiencing. The sad truth is that in Iran the majority\nof workers \u2013 despite their long record of work \u2013 receive minimum wages due to\ntheir three-month contracts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To understand the difficulty that workers are facing, one\nmust know that the poverty line is set at 2,728,000 tomans, according to the\nParliament\u2019s Research Center. As such, the majority of Iran\u2019s 13 million\nworkers live below the poverty line. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This year too, the employers\u2019 representatives stress that\nproduction costs are high due to inflation and US sanctions, thus disagreeing\nwith the demand to increase wages to address declining purchasing power. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tejarat Online<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Economic Security is\nthe Missing Link of the Economy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The editorial of Jahan Sanat explains how a lack of economic\nsecurity in Iran is the main obstacle to economic prosperity and growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

These days all Iranians agree that the country\u2019s conditions\nare not good. Conversations among Iranians and their behavior in the street\nindicate their high level of dissatisfaction. According to polls, after the\nNovember protests, less than 20 percent of the people are satisfied with the\ncurrent conditions and most young people think the November protesters were\nright. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The judgement of the people in this regard is significantly\ncontradictory: on the one hand, they are upset with the current conditions; on\nthe other hand, they have no hope in the street protests improving their\nconditions. Today people are suffering from economic insecurity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From an economic perspective, this is because of massive turbulence\nwithin Iran\u2019s macroeconomy. Consecutive fluctuations in the currency market and\nthe inflation rate have resulted in instability and indecision. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The other factor that has destabilized the economy is the\nmounting US sanctions over the past two years, which have manifested in\ndifferent forms. Also, ineffective economic policy making within the country\nhas fueled  the insecurity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Economic security is a great social capital and its absence\nis a great obstacle to economic activity including the creation of prosperity\nand progress in the country. As for the macroeconomy, inflation must be\ncontrolled, and the currency rate must be fixed. On the other hand, there must\nbe a solution for Iran\u2019s weakened relationship with the international community\nand the issue of US sanctions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result of the current conditions and the country\u2019s\neconomic prospects, there is no motivation to invest in development and job\ncreation. Instead, people invest their money in the gold or currency market or\ntake it overseas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under these circumstances when indecisiveness in economic\npolicy making is apparent and improper conditions are the main obstacles to\neconomic growth, it shouldn\u2019t be conveyed to the public that abrupt decisions\nare part and parcel of the government\u2019s policy making, as this would weaken\npublic trust in policy makers and increase public dissatisfaction.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jahan Sanat<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Opportunity of the\nDeal of the Century and the Issue of Iran Pulling out of the NPT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The editorial of Arman Melli views the so-called US \u201cdeal of\nthe century\u201d as a diplomatic opportunity for the Islamic Republic which can be exploited\nto decrease pressures on Iran.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent days, the motion for Iran exiting the\nNon-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was submitted to the Parliament. Iranian\nlawmakers announced that if ratified, the government and the Foreign Ministry are\nbound to report to them about Iran pulling out of the NPT within two weeks of\nreferring Iran\u2019s case to the UN Security Council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran\u2019s threat to pull out of the NPT can be seen from\ndifferent perspectives. The first issue is how this move will impact Iran\u2019s\nrelations with the European countries. The evidence shows that the Islamic\nRepublic shouldn\u2019t be particularly concerned about Iran-Europe relations.\nEurope willingly or unwillingly has stopped constructive cooperation with Iran.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, with anti-Western currents becoming stronger in Iran,\neven if Europe wants to cooperate with Iran, there are too many obstacles. If\nIran\u2019s case is referred to the UN Security Council, the JCPOA is destroyed and\nall previous resolutions against Iran will be re-activated. By refusing to cooperate\nwith the IAEA, others will see the Islamic Republic\u2019s nuclear activities as not\npeaceful, no matter how much Iran insists otherwise.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that Donald Trump has announced Netanyahu\u2019s plan for the\n\u201cdeal of the century\u201d which has faced criticism from all countries, Iran can use\npublic diplomacy to alleviate US pressures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Parliament\u2019s motion has not been ratified yet, and even\nif ratified, it is highly unlikely that the government will implement it. When\nAmerica and Israel are cooperating with one another concerning Israel\u2019s right\nof existence in the region, Iran must take new initiatives to mobilize the\nIslamic countries against the \u201cdeal of the century.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the current anti-American atmosphere, the Islamic\nRepublic shouldn\u2019t talk of exiting the NPT as America can take advantage of it\nand use it against Iran.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Arman Melli<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cDefenders of the Holy Shrines\u201d Took Part in\nSuppressing the November Protests in Iran<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The website of the \u201cHoly Shrine Defender\u201d has published a statement\nclaiming that its forces participated\nin the crackdown on the protests held during November\n2019: \u201cWe see that some government officials still send the holy shrine\ndefenders to the frontlines of fights with their own people without accepting\nany responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The text continues that as Iran\u2019s November protests turned violent,\na number of the \u201cHoly Shrine Defenders\u201d had to take action and unfortunately\nsome of them such as Morteza Ebrahimi were martyred. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This text also criticizes the government\u2019s \u201cmismanagement\u201d while\ncomplaining about the way these \u201cdefenders\u201d are deprived of some services and\nface problems regarding their salaries and benefits. The officials should not\nbe allowed to evade their responsibility and sacrifice the \u201cHoly Shrine Defenders\u201d,\nsays the text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to ISNA, Morteza Ebrahimi, commander of the Imam Hossein\nbattalion, was killed in a district in Tehran\nduring the people\u2019s\nprotests in November 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RadioFarda<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Journalists Ordered\nnot to Report on the Continuation of Flights Between Iran and China<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A journalist working for Shargh daily in Tehran has said\nthat the media in Iran was ordered not to report on the <\/strong>continuation of flights between Iran and China. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shokoufeh Habibzadeh wrote on her Twitter account that Mahan\nAir is currently carrying passengers between Iran and China despite the deadly\ncoronavirus and \u201cwithout giving a hoot about people\u2019s lives.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Iranian Health Minister had previously announced a\ntemporary ban on all flights to and from China due to the coronavirus outbreak.\nHowever, a parliamentarian said that flights between Iran and China continue in\nspite of the ban. Bahram Parsaei, a member of the Parliament\u2019s Article 90\nCommittee, added that these flights were supposed to carry Iranians and\nstudents from China to Iran, but we now see that Iranian airlines are transferring\nChinese passengers from other countries. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parsaei also pointed out that even Turkey, whose main income\nis from tourism most of which comes from Chinese tourists, has cancelled all\nits flights to and from China despite suffering losses of millions of dollars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iran International<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radio Farda<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rouhani Expresses\nConcerns Over Iranians Being Discouraged From Going to the Polls in Iran<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

President Hassan Rouhani said that whoever discourages\npeople from going to the polls is straying far from the path of Imam Khomeini.\nSpeaking on the anniversary of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Rouhani pointed out\nthat Imam Khomeini always emphasized that people should participate in all\nelections. \u201cHe knew that if people were not present on the scene, there would\nbe no victory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rouhani underscored that with the people being absent, we\ncannot be successful. He added we should respect public views in all our\npolicies, including domestic, foreign, economic and cultural policies.\n\u201cPeople\u2019s opinions, beliefs, thoughts and tastes should not be forgotten,\u201d he\nasserted. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rouhani also remarked that if we continue on Imam Khomeini\u2019s\npath, we can overcome the difficulties that we are going through \u2013 the hardest\neconomic and political times for our country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

President Rouhani made these remarks close to Iran\u2019s upcoming\nparliamentary elections which are to be held on February 21, 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An Iranian Lawmaker\nInterrogated for Comments She Made as a Parliamentary Member<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lawmaker Parvaneh Salahshouri said that she was summoned to\ncourt after a complaint was filed by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and\nsome other authorities. She said the hardest part of it was when \u201cI was\ninterrogated only for my comments in defense of the people\u2019s rights as a\nparliament member.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salahshouri added that her summons was \u201cillegal\u201d according\nto Articles 84 and 86 of Iran\u2019s Constitution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salahshouri has made some controversial remarks in the past.\nRecently, she slammed a \u201cfull-fledged and unruly tyranny\u201d in the Islamic\nRepublic\u2019s establishment, saying \u201cthe republicanism of this establishment has\nturned into centralization.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Criticizing some parallel institutions in the country,\nSalahshouri asked: \u201cHow many governments? How many intelligence offices? How\nmany parallel institutions?\u201d She further stated that Iran has a \u201cdual\nsovereignty which evades accountability and manages the country by constantly\nsaying it wasn\u2019t me!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pointing to Iran\u2019s November protests, Salahshouri said she\ncannot tolerate the killing of the youth of her homeland. She said that \u201cpeople\nvoiced their protests but were answered \u2013 young and old \u2013 with bullets and\narrests.\u201d They were only after a job and a good life, added Salahshouri.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This lawmaker had previously announced that she would not\nparticipate in Iran\u2019s upcoming parliamentary elections due to what happened\nduring the November protests in Iran and because of the presence of structures\nwhich restrict the Parliament\u2019s authority, such as the Guardian Council\u2019s\napprobatory supervision.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hamdeli daily<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is China Going to\nStop Importing Oil From Iran?  <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A new report by China\u2019s General Administration of Customs on\noil imports during 2019 shows that oil purchases from Iran were halved during\nthe last year. But the important point is that in December, China bought\n100,000 bpd which is seven times less than the amount before the imposition of\nUS sanctions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to newly released statistics, China purchased\n295,000 bpd of Iran\u2019s oil in 2019, a 50 percent drop compared to 2018 and a 60\npercent reduction compared to 2017. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statistics show that after the United States ended its\noil waivers in May last year, China sharply decreased its purchases of Iranian\noil which in December dropped to 100,000 bpd. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

China is Iran\u2019s biggest trade partner and is the only\ncountry which has continued to buy Iran\u2019s oil despite US sanctions. According\nto reports, however, large amounts of oil exported from Iran to China were for\npaying the debts of Iran\u2019s National Oil Company to Chinese companies like CNPC.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If in 2020 China keeps its oil imports from Iran at the\nlevel of last December \u2013 i.e. 100,000 bpd \u2013 it means that it has stopped buying\nIran\u2019s oil, because these imports will merely cover Iran\u2019s debts to Chinese\ncompanies and Iran will receive no money for this. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently America and China signed a trade contract to end\nthe tariff war between them, which will require \nChina to buy  more US goods worth\nup to $52.4. billion. In addition, part of the contract includes China buying\nAmerican oil and gas. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Deutsche Welle<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Policymaking Under US Sanctions The editorial of Donya-e-Eghtesad asks that if for some reason, there are no changes in US sanctions in the short run, how can the economic damage be reduced under US sanctions and how can the economic crisis be prevented? There are short-term and long-term impacts of US sanctions. The most important […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":7510,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[424,4229,1637,2371,4230,66,3191,4231,3192,4228],"class_list":["post-7504","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-iran-in-a-week","tag-china","tag-flights","tag-iran-in-a-week","tag-iran-protests","tag-november-2019","tag-protests","tag-protests-in-iran","tag-protests-in-november-2019","tag-recurring-protests","tag-the-defenders"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7504","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7504"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7504\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7511,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7504\/revisions\/7511"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7510"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7504"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7504"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rasanah-iiis.org\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7504"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}