It is worth noting that according to the state-run Tasnim news agency (December 10, 2017), “Missiles and the IRGC Quds Force are the priorities of the new year’s budget”. It becomes evident that the priority of Rouhani’s cabinet is the development of ballistic missiles and meddling in the affairs of neighboring countries not the nationwide crises inside Iran.

Rouhani’s 2018 Budget Plan And The Nationwide Crises In Iran

The budget has no place for investment in the industrial and agricultural sector. While according to Rouhani, more than 1.2 million people are added to the workforce every year, the government is doing nothing to provide these people with employment. In addition, every day, the number of unemployed people increases.

 According to the statistics declared by state-run media, each year, the IRGC and its partners smuggle more than $25 billion worth of goods into the country, contributing to the destruction of small workshops and production facilities in Iran.

In most countries of the world, when there are several nationwide crises, the government has to provide specific plans to solve those dilemmas when declaring its yearly budget to the parliament. For instance, if there is an unemployment problem, the government has to allocate a budget for job creation and present a plan to solve the issue. The same goes for other problems, such as water scarcity, pollution, and etc. In all cases, a specific budget must be assigned to fixing those problems.

However, let us see how the Iranian regime is dealing with its nationwide crises. On December 12, 2017, Iranian president Hassan Rouhani introduced his government’s budget to the parliament, which is 1194 trillion Tomans (approx. $340 billion). The budget will be provided through the sale of oil and gas, as well as the heavy taxing of the Iranian people in direct and indirect ways.