After several postponements over the course of 2010, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad finally announced on December 19 that his subsidy reform programme (which is, in effect, a subsidy phase-out programme) would begin immediately. Subsidies cost the government billions of US dollars every year, and Iran’s fiscal situation is so dire at the moment that Ahmadinejad… [Read more]
On this week’s Business Monitor Podcast, BMI’s Head of Middle East Analysis Elizabeth Martins and Middle East Analyst Andrew Fargus discuss rising political risks in Iran concerning the nuclear situation. With diplomatic tensions escalating, Fargus assesses the implications of a potential Israeli strike on Iran, and discusses the latter’s retaliatory options. At home, the Iranian… [Read more]
Bloody clashes between Iranian security forces and protestors contesting last Friday’s election results have seen the largest public gathering in Iran since the Islamic Revolution 30 years ago. Liz Martins from Business Monitor International discusses the implications of a possible recount of the vote.
Although there is no smoking gun at this stage, several indications have led many Iranians to suspect that last Friday’s presidential election was rigged. While I expect the post-election unrest to die down over the coming days and weeks, public perceptions of electoral fraud could undermine the regime’s legitimacy over the longer term. Indeed, the… [Read more]
