Mehdi Neimi: The People of Ardabil No Longer Fall for Tehran’s Games Based on Sectarian and Historical Narratives

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, January 09, 2025

Mehdi Neimi

During a ceremony organized on December 29 by Ayatollah Amili, the representative of Iran’s Supreme Leader in Ardabil, offensive remarks were made against the presidents of Turkey and Azerbaijan. At the same time, anti-Turkish propaganda in Iranian media and political circles has entered a new phase.

Political activist and analyst Mehdi Neimi, in an interview with Voice of America, discussed the increasing activities against Turkey and Azerbaijan in Iran, as well as the nature of the December 29 ceremony held at Ardabil’s Grand Mosque under the title "From Ashura to Chaldiran, From Chaldiran to the Emergence – Resistance."

Mehdi Neimi: The Iranian Government Applies Censorship to Turkish Works to Create a Distorted Language

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, February 4, 2024

Mehdi Neimi

Political activist and commentator Mehdi Neimi, in an interview with Voice of America, states that the Iranian government's censorship policies target not only the content of Turkish publications but also the language used in these works. He emphasizes that state institutions aim to create a "distorted language."

Mehdi Neimi: Iran Lays 3,700 km of Pipelines to Central Provinces, But Claims No Budget for Lake Urmia

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, August 11, 2023

Mehdi Neimi

The ecological disaster in Lake Urmia in Iranian Azerbaijan is becoming an increasing source of concern. Independent experts and even some experts working within Iranian state institutions seem to agree that inefficient water management and the denial of water rights to the lake have led to an irreversible situation.

Economist and political activist Mehdi Neimi, in an interview with Voice of America, emphasizes that, in addition to the inefficient management of water resources, economic discrimination plays a role in the drying of Lake Urmia.

Mehdi Neimi: The Promise to Revive Lake Urmia Was Just Like the Promise for Mother Tongue Education – Made to Gain Votes

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, July 26, 2022

Mehdi Neimi

Iran’s official news agency IRNA reported that a budget of 15 trillion tomans has been allocated for the projects aimed at reviving Lake Urmia. However, some local politicians and members of parliament in Iranian Azerbaijan claim that it is unclear how this budget for Lake Urmia has been spent.

In an interview with Voice of America, national activist and economist Mehdi Neimi stated that in the Islamic Republic of Iran, it is possible for budgets allocated for certain projects to be spent on other activities.

Mehdi Naimi: The Raisi Government’s Removal of Subsidies Is an Untimely Decision

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, May 15, 2022

Mehdi Neimi

Following the Iranian government’s decision to eliminate the 4,200-toman exchange rate for certain imported food products and the subsidy on flour, the prices of essential food items have skyrocketed. Protests against rising costs have erupted in various provinces.

Speaking to Voice of America, economist Mehdi Neimi stated that the government’s removal of the state exchange rate and subsidies was an untimely decision.

Mehdi Neimi: The State Transfers South Azerbaijan's Natural Resources to Central Regions

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, January 18, 2022

Mehdi Neimi

Mehdi Neimi claims that the natural resources of South Azerbaijan are being plundered by the state. Speaking to Voice of America, the economist explains that the Iranian government establishes major industries to process raw materials and valuable minerals from South Azerbaijan in the country’s central regions.

Mehdi Neimi: The President Has Little Influence on Iran’s Economic Policies

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, May 27, 2021

Mehdi Neimi

In an interview with Voice of America, economist Mehdi Neimi discussed the role of the president in Iran’s economic policies. He also evaluated the impact of economic promises made by presidential candidates on voters.

Mehdi Neimi states that economic leadership in Iran has never been entrusted to experts in the field. He also emphasizes that the president and his cabinet have little influence over economic policies.

Mehdi Neimi: Defense of Political Prisoners Lags Behind National Movement's Growth

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, February 18, 2021

Mehdi Neimi

According to political activist Mehdi Neimi, who spoke to Voice of America, over the past 15 years, the national movement in Iranian Azerbaijan has grown in various fields, but the efforts to defend political prisoners have not expanded at the same rate.

"The Political Orientations in the Curriculum of Tabriz University’s Turkish Language Department"

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, October 3, 2020

Mehdi Neimi

In an interview with Voice of America, Mehdi Neimi states that while the demand for education in the Turkish language is of utmost importance for national activists in Iranian Azerbaijan, ensuring that this demand is not fulfilled is equally crucial for the Iranian authorities.

Tabriz’s Liqvan Cheese Sparks Controversy, Reaching the Iranian Parliament

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, June 12, 2020

Mehdi Neimi

A recent television program aired on Iran’s state TV sparked widespread reactions after the host criticized Tabriz’s famous and traditional Liqvan cheese while promoting cheese produced by Tehran’s “Mihan” holding company.

Speaking to Voice of America, economist Mehdi Naimi stated, “Liqvan cheese is not just an economic product in Azerbaijan; it is embraced as a part of national identity.”

Mehdi Neimi: The Coronavirus Pandemic Reveals Hidden Economic Crises

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, April 6, 2020

Mehdi Neimi

The coronavirus pandemic has significantly slowed down economic activity worldwide. Speaking to Voice of America, economist Mehdi Neimi states that in order to classify the current economic stagnation as a full-fledged economic crisis, the situation must persist for an extended period.

According to Mehdi Neimi, “Even if the coronavirus had not emerged, experts believe that the world was already facing three hidden economic crises.”

He emphasizes that due to the pandemic, these hidden economic crises may surface more quickly.

Crackdown on Turkish Language Activists in Iran: Arrests, Exile, and Censorship Intensify

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, February 5, 2020

Mehdi Neimi

Recently, pressures against Turkish language rights defenders and publishers engaged in the publication and sale of Turkish books in Tehran have intensified significantly.

Speaking to Voice of America, analyst Mehdi Neimi says, “Turks who operate in Tehran after moving away from Iranian Azerbaijan feel the pain more deeply, which is why they carry out serious activities.”

Mehdi Neimi: Migration from South Azerbaijan to Other Regions is Abnormal and Thought-Provoking

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, November 16, 2019

Mehdi Neimi

Mehdi Neimi evaluates the level of migration from Iranian Azerbaijan to other regions of the country as "abnormal" and "thought-provoking." According to the economist speaking to Voice of America, the population of some cities in Iranian Azerbaijan has almost doubled in migration to cities like Tehran.

Mehdi Neimi: The Iranian Government Is Testing the Reaction of Non-Persian Populations

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, August 30, 2019

Mehdi Neimi

In May 2006 and November 2015, mass uprisings occurred in Iran's Azerbaijan and Tehran in protest against the "humiliation of Turks" by state media. However, initiatives like the "Persian language proficiency test," aimed at accelerating the assimilation process of non-Persians, have not yet led to similar protests. National activist Mehdi Neimi spoke with Voice of America about the reasons behind this.

Mehdi Neimi: Iran’s Population Is Not Homogeneous, It Will Rise Up at Some Point

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, May 23, 2019

Mehdi Neimi

Mehdi Neimi believes that in some countries, people become accustomed to poverty and harsh economic conditions, seeing their situation as their destiny. However, in Iran, where the population is not homogeneous, this does not seem possible.

Speaking to Voice of America, the economist comments on Iran’s current economic and political situation and evaluates the relationship between economic development and political stability.

Mehdi Naeimi: Iran’s Economic Crisis – Corruption, Inflation, and Lost Trust

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, October 12, 2018

Mehdi Neimi

Mehdi Neimi emphasizes that even in the period following the Iran-Iraq war, Iran’s economy was not as unstable as it is today. Speaking to Voice of America, the economist states that while the country's economy has always been in a fragile state, today, both embezzlement and corruption within government institutions have increased, and the public no longer has the same level of trust in the state as before.

Mehdi Neimi: The Babak Castle March Has Symbolic Importance

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, July 30, 2018

Mehdi Neimi

The annual Babak Castle march, traditionally held on the second weekend of summer in Iranian Azerbaijan, has not had the same grandeur since 2005. Turkish activist Mehdi Neimi, in an interview with Voice of America, evaluates the efforts to reinstate this march on a large scale. He emphasizes that this march holds symbolic significance for the National Movement.

"A Turkish Language Department at the University is Better Than Nothing."

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, September 05, 2016

Mehdi Neimi

Recent news about the establishment of a Turkish Language and Literature department at Tabriz University, along with a parliamentary representative’s request to President Rouhani for the teaching of Turkish in primary and secondary schools, has been considered a significant development in the demand for mother-tongue education in Iranian Azerbaijan.

In an interview with Voice of America, Turkish language teacher Mehdi Neimi shared his thoughts on these developments. He described the establishment of a Turkish language department at the university not as a major event but as "better than nothing." He believes that national activists should not settle for these steps or promises but must continue working towards their primary demands, particularly the recognition of Turkish as an official language and its use as a language of instruction in schools.

Mehdi Neimi: The Government Considers the Turkish Language as Foreign

Alirza Quluncu, Voice of America, August 04, 2015

Mehdi Neimi, an activist and volunteer Turkish language teacher.

"The government saw that among the ethnic groups and nations demanding their rights, the Kurds are the closest to them. This is because they consider Kurdish a branch of the Iranian languages," said Mehdi Neimi in an interview with Voice of America, explaining the internal factors that led to the introduction of Kurdish language and literature in higher education institutions.