The Persian Society (UKL Iranian Society)

Of course there are is no argument against those people who steal money which simply belongs to the nation but do you really believe that this is only happening in Iran?
This crap is going on around the world and its normal under any government. They are all looking after their own interest not what me and you want.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2011/feb/18/barclays-bank-113m-corporation-tax

"The country’s social indicators are relatively high by regional standards. Most human development indicators have improved noticeably based on the Government’s efforts to increase access to education and health. Virtually all children of the relevant age group were enrolled in primary schools in 2009 and enrollment in secondary schools increased from 66% in 1995 to 84% in 2009. As a result, youth literacy rates increased from 77% to 99% over the same period, rising significantly for girls. Consequently, Iran is well placed to achieve the MDG target with regard to eliminating gender disparities. Over the years, Iranian women have been playing an increasingly important role in the economy, though their market participation and employment rates remain limited. Iran’s health outcomes have also improved considerably over the past twenty years. The mortality rate for children under five steadily declined from 65 (per 1,000) in 1990 to 27 in 2009. Similarly, the maternal mortality ratio per 100,000 live births declined from 150 to 30 during the same period. Consequently, health indicators are usually above regional averages. This success is based on the effective delivery of primary health care which almost balanced health care outcomes in rural and urban areas. Iran’s new 5th five-year development plan from 2011 to 2015 continues to focus on social policies."

Please keep in mind that Iran has been under these sanctions from the day Shah left.

No new World Bank loans to Iran have been approved since 2005.

First off, whataboutism has no truck with me; as a socialist I am against all the excesses of capitalism, whether those perpetrated by Western neo-liberals, by Chinese state bureaucrats or by theocratic despots in Iran. So that Guardian link does not address the point I was making - though I think only a moron would equate Barclays with the IRGC on the whole. To answer your question, no I don't believe that, and it's not a point I was making anyway.

Secondly, the points you mentioned about infant mortality and so on are not as impressive as you think they are: childhood mortality is decreasing on general throughout the world. The Islamic Republic is not somehow lighting the path for better standards of childhood care you know, it's following an already existing trend in an extremely mediocre fashion - with it's natural wealth and potential, Iran should not have even that childhood mortality statistic which you seem so impressed by. Here's an article which indicates just how sorry the state of healthcare in Iran is:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/tehranbureau/2012/05/iran-standard-time-desolation-day-24-hours-in-the-life-on-an-er-doctor.html#ixzz1tvODa300

And you STILL haven't addressed my points regarding vastly increased social inequalities and social ills such as increasing prostitution and drug addiction. Unless you believe these issues are somehow not related to economics

Is it true that Larijani said "Why did you discuss this issue here?"

This guy is a dipstick. Where the hell is he supposed to discuss it? In bed with his wife?

This is perhaps the best thing Ahmadinejad has done in the second half of his reign.

Eh? He should have taken the tape to the police and let them deal with it! Why did he bring it into parliament for? It's just absurd...

I watched the whole 25 minutes of Larijanis response and he did a good job slamming Ahmadinejad. Especially enjoyed the part where ahmadinejad got up and left. I can't believe the awful state this country's is in...they don't need sanctions, they'll run the country into the ground themselves.

I only came back to this thread say hi to Democracy too haha. Hope you're doing well.

Yh thats true, he should have let the police handle it.
Did he have any hard evidence. I've heard he only had the conversation on a piece of paper since the tape wasn't "ready" or something?

I think he played the tape, I didn't watch that part though. I find it astounding that a head of state would do something like this, he even had one of his advisors (vice-president of something or other) threaten Larijani. This pretty much amounts to Mafia tactics (as Larijani himself makes the point too).

Ahmadinejad lost the plot years ago, I think we should aim to send him up to space, as he so desperately wants to go, and leave him there doing our nation and other nations a favour. What an embarrassment...

Haha, Ahmadinejad isn't the actual real problem, there are bigger concerns than him but WD to the Iranian scientists for making such progress under these hard circumstances.

سالم حرکس خؤب حستن؟

What are you guys doing for the new year!?