An Iranian citizen from the Sistan and Baluchestan province, one of the country's most economically challenged regions, has taken to social media to slam President Joe Biden’s deal with Iran.
In the video message, he criticizes the release of millions of dollars to the regime and points to dire living conditions within the country. All this, while tens of billions of dollars annually are invested in the country's proxies around the region.
The Iranian, who keeps his identity hidden, showcases his daily meal, a simple mixture of tomatoes and cucumbers, to underscore the stark realities of poverty in his homeland. He highlights the pervasiveness of poverty and corruption in Iran, drawing parallels between the situation in his region and the struggles faced by the people of Gaza.
"Mr. Biden, you released the money, but the money does not reach the poor people, and it goes to a place where every minute someone is killed, and a child is orphaned," he remarks, referencing the ongoing conflict between Iran-backed Hamas, and Israel.
He goes on to implore President Biden to extend assistance to the impoverished residents of Baluchestan, who, according to him, must undertake arduous journeys covering hundreds of kilometers to access even basic healthcare, incurring significant expenses in the process.
The release of $6 billion in Iranian oil revenues by the Biden administration last month as part of a deal to secure the freedom of five American hostages has been met with increasing controversy. The deal faced early objections in Washington, but the situation took a different turn following the Hamas-Israel conflict, resulting in the loss of hundreds of lives.
In the aftermath of the attack, Republican lawmakers intensified their efforts to hold the administration accountable for the move urging Biden to refreeze the money.
Currently the official annual inflation rate is around 50 percent, the highest for more than 30 years with basics such as rent and food, now unaffordable to millions of Iranians thrust below the poverty line.
And as tensions rise on Israel’s northern border with Lebanon, Iran-backed Hezbollah was more active on Sunday than on any day since the war broke out on October 7, Biden told 60 Minutes: “Hezbollah is a powerful Islamist militia to Israel's north which is armed and trained by Iran. Iran also supports Hamas.”
The unequivocal link to Iran of the recent invasion and atrocities which have left at least 1,400, mostly civilians, butchered after a shock invasion of Hamas special forces, reinforces the fears of the regime’s continued destabilization of the situation.
After multiple attacks from Hezbollah on Sunday, Israel's Ministry of Defense and Israeli Defence Forces announced that residents who live within two kilometers of the border with Lebanon are now being evacuated and offered state-funded accommodation. The move will effect 28 Israeli towns and villages.
Asked for his message to Iran amidst the rising concerns about Tehran possibly getting involved in the war, Biden said simply, “Don't. Don't, don't, don’t,” in a message of deterrence. He reiterated the previous statements from the government that there is “no clear evidence” of Iran’s direct involvement in the Hamas operation, which broke out on October 7, the deadliest single day for Jews since the Holocaust.
Speaking on the hour-long documentary, he said: “Now, Iran constantly supports Hamas and Hezbollah …. [but] did they have foreknowledge, did they help plan the attack, there’s no evidence of that at this point.”
However, the fears of escalation have already seen the US send a powerful naval battle group into the Mediterranean and a pledge to do whatever it takes to support Israel in its battle against Hamas.
Monday morning saw the possible reopening of the Rafah Crossing from Gaza to Egypt to allow the passage of aid and the exit of foreign passport holders, though Israel’s Prime Minister’s office asserted in a press statement there was “no ceasefire”.
On his regional tour, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other international diplomats have been working to secure the opening in a bid to retain calm.
Overnight, six top leaders of Hamas’ military and political arms were assassinated, including those directly responsible for the implementation of Operation Al Aqsa Flood, the name given to the invasion on October 7, later declared a war by the terror group, Hamas.
Authorities in Gaza said at least 2,750 people had so far been killed by the Israeli strikes, a quarter of them children, and nearly 10,000 wounded. Another 1,000 people were missing and believed to be under rubble.
The US has told its citizens in Gaza to get close to the crossing so they can move out, estimating the number of dual-citizen Palestinian-Americans in Gaza at 500 to 600 among the enclave's population of 2.3 million.
Several world leaders are intervening to bring calm, and eyes continue to look to Iran as the backer of its proxies surrounding Israel, including in Syria and the West Bank. French President Emmanuel Macron warned President Ebrahim Raisi against any escalation of the conflict in phone call on Sunday.
”The president of the republic warned President Raisi against any escalation or extension of the conflict, especially to Lebanon," Macron's office said in a statement. "Given its relations with Hezbollah and Hamas, Iran has a responsibility in this respect. Iran must do everything possible to avoid a regional flare-up," it added.
In the US, Senators are also calling for action to weaken the chances of escalation. Senato Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) warned Iran that should there be escalation on Israel’s northern border, the regime would face consequences.
Speaking in an interview on NBC’s Meet The Press, he vowed to introduce a resolution in the Senate to allow “military action by the United States in conjunction with Israel to knock Iran out of the oil business,” he said.
In a harsh warning, he said: “Iran, if you escalate this war, we’re coming for you.” While official lines from the US government have avoided blaming Iran for the war, he said it was “laughable” to say the regime was not responsible for the October 7 invasion given the historic backing given to the proxy group.
These opposing views, the result of economic hardships, widespread poverty, political impasses, and a negative approach by policy-making institutions toward Iranian culture and lifestyle, are contributing to a broader shift in attitudes among the opposition.
Former government spokesman Ali Rabiei, in a commentary published by the reformist Etemad newspaper on Saturday, highlighted that this perspective on the Gaza situation extends beyond "some among the masses" to include "some intellectuals and writers" who either remain silent on the Gaza issue or express support for Israel.
Ahmad Bokharai, head of the political sociology department of Iran's Sociological Association also told Didban-e Iran (Iran Monitor] news website Saturday that “the proxy wars Iran has waged in the past few years” are not acceptable to the majority of the Iranians.
Highlighting that Iranians who lived through the eight-year war with Iraq (1980-88) and witnessed its devastating aftermath tend to favor peace, Bokharai argued that those dissatisfied with the government's stance lean towards supporting Israel over the Palestinians. He pointed out that the "majority in Iran" expressing support for Israel is a reaction to the minority who misuse government resources to suggest that Iranians are pleased with Hamas's attacks on Israel.
Judging from social media comments, many ordinary Iranians are supporting Israel, blaming Hamas for starting the recent war, and condemning the atrocities it has allegedly committed against Israelis. Pounding Gaza and driving the residents out of the Palestinian enclave, they say, is only a response to Hamas’ atrocities and photos and footage that has emerged of their actions is proof of its barbarism.
In contrast to other regional countries like Turkey and Pakistan, there have been no significant pro-Gazan protests in Iran, aside from small, state-sponsored rallies that were organized to "celebrate the Palestinian victory" in Hamas' Al-Aqsa Storm Operations last week and after Friday prayers this week.
The level of support shown for Israel on social media these past few days has no precedent even in the past few years when anti-government protesters often chanted against the regime’s financial support of militants in other countries, particularly in Gaza and Lebanon.
“Neither Gaza, nor Lebanon, I will sacrifice my life for Iran” was first chanted by anti-government protesters on Quds Day in 2009 in reaction to the government-sponsored demonstrations and again during the anti-government protests of 2017, 2019, and 2022-23. In a speech on October 13, 2021, Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said those who chanted the slogan were “deluded” and “would even not defend Iran”.
Khamenei and other officials have fervently praised Hamas for initiating the recent attack on Israel and their goal of eradicating the Jewish state. However, they deny any direct involvement by the Islamic Republic in the attack. "This was carried out by Palestinians themselves," Khamenei stated in a speech on Tuesday during a military event in Tehran.
Many Iranians consider it unacceptable that the country's resources are directed toward supporting proxy forces in the region, including those in Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, and Yemen. These actions provoke the international community against Iran and Iranians. This happens while the pressing needs of the Iranian people, whose livelihoods are significantly impacted by these policies, are being neglected.
Most expatriate opposition figures including former Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi have condemned Hamas and expressed solidarity with Israel while in Iran some opposition figures such as the reformist former President Mohammad Khatami have called the Hamas attack a result of years of Israeli oppression and occupation but urged the Islamic Republic to take a cautious stance.
Others, such as outspoken Sunni leader Mowlavi Abdolhamid are arguing that the regime’s enmity with Israel is pointless and should be abandoned in favor of a solution that accepts the existence of two states for Israelis and Palestinians.
