In December 2018, the Islamic regime's spokesman announced that “Oil revenues in this year’s budget were worth $27 billion, which will decline by 28 per cent next year to $21 billion.” Nobakht told IRIB TV3 channel. (1)
The Catholic News Agency, reporting on Holy Father's gesture towards the affected people where the "damages are estimated to total between $1 and $3.6 billion"(2) symbolises Vatican's policy towards tolerance and understanding between the two greatest religions in the world. However, the fact that such an amount of money will never reach the affected areas nor benefit the victims is another story.
It is preposterous and perhaps never seen before that a wealthy country such as Iran does not have any caring statesperson for the past forty years, who would actually care for the nation!
Today, in 2019, Iran stands fifth in the top ten countries with the most natural resources in the world. (3) Her oil reserves are the fourth largest - estimated at 158,400 million barrels,(4) - almost 10% of the world's total proven petroleum reserve, and has the second largest natural gas reserve - after Russia, with 1,202 trillion cubic feet. Nevertheless, forty years of deliberate mismanagement, lack of professional planning and destructive domestic, as well as foreign policies have reduced Iranians to one of the poorest nations living in one of the richest countries on earth. According to various economists, 33 per cent of the country’s 82 million population - approximately 27 million lives in absolute poverty, and six per cent - about 5 million are starving. (5)
In a rich country like Iran, rainfalls should result is such calamities. Had this Republic, over the past four decades, placed Iran's national interests before their ideological adventurism in the Muslim world and their destructive policies, not a single life nor a house should have been destroyed. In contrast, Iran under professional management run by experts would have taken advantage of nature's blessing and reserved and managed this 'God-given water' putting it in good use.
Iranians could have been among the top twenty most prosperous nations in the world, had the Islamic Revolution not been brought about. Instead, three generations of Iranians and many in the Middle East and greater Middle East, and the world at large have suffered since 1979.
Is it not the time for us to bring an end to this most ridiculous chapter in our history, and throw the idea of any form of religious involvement in public lives or issues into the trash cans of history?
Decades from now the future Iranian generations would look back and curse the apathy and inept behaviour of us today.
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