A “highly confidential” state document leaked to RFE/RL’s Radio Farda warns that discontent is rising in Iran, with society in a “state of explosion.”
The leaked IRGC document highlights the clerical establishment’s concerns over potential social unrest due to the deteriorating economy, which has been crushed by years of mismanagement.
The seven-page document allegedly comes from the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Iran’s elite military force. It was leaked by Edalat-e Ali (Ali’s Justice), a hacktivist group that has previously disclosed secret documents and videos about the mistreatment of inmates in an Iranian prison.
The leaked document includes notes from a November 2021 task-force meeting chaired by Brigadier General Hossein Nejat, a senior IRGC commander and deputy head of Sarallah, a key IRGC base that oversees security in Tehran.
The meeting notes quote an official from the IRGC’s intelligence wing, who is only referred to as “Mohammadi,” as saying that a survey conducted by the unit shows that public discontent in the country of around 84 million is threatening to boil over.
“Society is in a state of explosion,” Mohammadi said, citing Iran’s economic woes. He noted that “social discontent has risen by 300 percent in the past year.”
Mohammadi also said that “several shocks” in recent months have “shaken public trust” in the ultraconservative government led by President Ebrahim Raisi, who assumed office in June.
Mohammadi referred to soaring inflation, including hikes in the prices of food items, energy, and cars. He also noted the sharp declines in stock prices.
The purchase power of Iranians has shrunk significantly in recent months, with many complaining that they cannot afford basic goods.
Iranian teachers, pensioners, nurses, judiciary workers, and others have taken to the streets in the past few months to demand better pay and express frustration at economic conditions.