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| Mehsa Mehdili |
The dramatic rise in prices caused by eliminating subsidies for essential goods and the official exchange rate of 4,200 tomans to the dollar has led to widespread dissatisfaction in Iran. The Iranian government calls these changes "economic surgery."
In an interview with Voice of America, political analyst Mehsa Mehdili states that the sharp increase in inflation is felt deeply in Iranian Azerbaijan.
According to her, the middle and lower classes in Iran, who have been facing economic crises for years, are now unable to meet even their basic needs, such as food.
"The nation has been in crisis for years. The middle and lower classes have been suffering due to the government's policies. After such a wrong move by the government, of course, people who can’t even get bread for their homes will start protesting. Sometimes, economic crises only affect certain aspects. For example, people may give up some luxuries, like vacations. They could no longer go on vacations. They used to wear nice clothes, but now they don't. For years, especially the middle and lower classes in Iran have been forced to adapt to these changes. But now, it has come to the point where the hierarchy of needs is reduced to survival. It’s no longer about freedom, democracy, or luxuries. It’s about basic needs."
The political analyst adds that Iran’s resources and economic infrastructure are not capable of solving these problems.
"These problems cannot be solved by holding people back or suppressing protests. The situation has reached a breaking point. This might continue for a while in the form of hunger protests, but I don’t think they will find a proper solution. Iran’s economic resources and infrastructure are not suitable for this."
Mehdili emphasizes that the current situation is deeply felt in Iranian Azerbaijan.
"For example, Azerbaijan and Baluchistan have been further marginalized compared to central regions or areas with a majority of Persians. Discrimination has been deliberately applied in the economy. There has been no investment, and economic infrastructure has been destroyed. This is a fact. How is this situation felt in South Azerbaijan? It is felt deeply. That is why the South Azerbaijan National Movement must focus on this issue. Why? Because in this way, it can reach people more directly," she states.
"The national movement now has the potential to address these issues. There is a foundation for this. We can be its voice in our language, Turkish, and within the values adopted by the national movement and the boundaries of our people. We see that sometimes, the Persian-language media in opposition tries to claim ownership of protests in Azerbaijan, censors them, and suppresses the voice of our nation. But this is not a reason for us to remain silent. We must also raise our voice loud and clear about our own issues. We must make our line known. I think we are at a stage where we can do this now," Mehsa Mehdili adds.
Link to the original interview in Turkish on the Azerbaijani section of Voice of America:
Məhsa Mehdili: İrandakı bahalıq Azərbaycan vilayətlərində dərindən hiss edilir