February 9, 2025
Sabti concluded with a sobering assessment: “The events are converging—this is a decisive year.” He added: “The regime talks about racing toward nuclear capabilities, but how will they achieve this?” He answered bluntly: “It’s suicide.”

$50 billion to Syria vanished into thin air: Unrest in Iran grows over economic turmoil – interview

“The regime anticipates demonstrations and uprisings. They understand that things are very fragile.”

Iran’s public discontent surged in recent weeks as economic hardships, including widespread power outages and rising inflation, fueled calls for change, Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) researcher Benny Sabti told Maariv on Friday.

Sabti began by describing the growing frustration among the Iranian population. “People are very angry with the regime for squandering funds, oil revenues, and resources on Syria, which fell alongside Hezbollah,” he said. “The regime has poured $50 billion into Syria from 2000 until now, all of which vanished into thin air, along with funds sent to Lebanon and other places.” According to Sabti, the Iranian public views this as “a regime failure.”

Sabti believes recent events have given Iranians hope. He pointed to key incidents, such as the reported elimination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, which exposed the Iranian regime’s vulnerabilities, and “the fall of Gaza.” He emphasized: “All of this gives the Iranian public—80% of whom oppose the regime—hope.”

Sabti cited a parliamentary member’s report attributing the opposition level to the low voter turnout in the last presidential elections.

Sabti described worsening living conditions: “There are daily power outages lasting six to seven hours in Tehran and across the country, with even longer outages in remote areas. Water shortages follow the power cuts, and air pollution worsens because there isn’t enough clean gas to heat factories and homes. Instead, they burn ship fuel, which causes severe pollution until it’s stopped. The result is freezing temperatures and city shutdowns.” He added: “On some days, people are forbidden to leave their homes—children, adults, government offices, and banks alike.”

The economic crisis is severe. The ongoing shortages of electricity and gas have halted much of the industrial sector. Sabti noted that the unemployment rate, which was already 23%, had risen by an additional 12 percentage points.

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BTDT
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BTDT
January 12, 2025 1:56 pm

$50 billion to Syria vanished into thin air. Chump change. Imagine how much has vanished into Ukraine’s thin air.