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Iran Sinks in Social Crises | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, Iraq, July 19, 2013. REUTERS/Karim Kadim/Pool


London- Many analysts see that while Iran is claiming that it enjoys stability amid a region full of crises, on top of them ISIS, it is actually neglecting a bigger and more dangerous enemy which is the social crises in its community.

In 2005, the Iranina President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad promised that Iranians will have a share of oil revenues; however, the country ended up entering the toughest phase due to challenging the international community’s will.

According to experts, what led to the aggravation of social crises was the administration neglecting civil society assemblies, marginalizing citizens and their needs and disregarding the cultural differences among Iranian regions.

Reza Malekzadeh, deputy health minister, warned in a news conference last week that critical and psychological diseases are spreading due to economic pressures on citizens. According to him, 10% of eighty million Iranians have diabetes and the rate is expected to rise to 25% during the upcoming ten years.

Up to 50% suffer blood pressure when reaching the age of 50 and 50% of death causes are health and brain strokes, revealed the deputy health minister. Twelve percent of Iranians use drugs which is the main reason behind cancer and aids cases in Iran, continued Malekzadeh.

In the same context, human rights activist Karim Dahimi said that after the nuclear agreement, the Iranian administration focused on building its military arsenal—this actually was on the expense of supporting new projects, the fact that increased unemployment levels therefore poverty, added Dahimi.

Ten months after the nuclear agreement became applicable and despite the lift of sanctions on Iran and the return of Iranian oil to the international market, there are still no indicators that give any hope to citizens. They are actually disappointed that their wealth is being exported to militias.