TESTIMONIALS. "If they add more sanctions to us, we are dead" : the concern of the Iranians after new blockade threats from the West
Cairo: Hani Kamal El-Din
On the occasion of “Army Day”, battalions of the Islamic Republic marched near Tehran on Wednesday April 17 with a message: Iran stands ready in the event of an Israeli response. But for now, the response to Saturday’s attack on Iran is primarily diplomatic: the United States and the European Union are considering further expanding their sanctions against Iran. Measures that worry the Iranians, who have been subject to Western sanctions for years. Franceinfo interviewed several of them, and to protect them their names and voices were changed.
The country’s economy is already on the ground, deplores Fériale, who runs a hair salon in Tehran: “The first consequence of the sanctions is that we no longer have anything to put on the dining table. Everything is already very expensive and we suffer from shortages. Our country is on the verge of bankruptcy if they add more sanctions, seriously, we are dead.”
According to Niloufar, in his thirties, the sanctions not only make the lives of Iranians impossible but also directly enrich the regime, which controls the black market. “The embargo that is imposed on Iran mainly targets civilians, not the leaders or the military or the Revolutionary Guards. They do their business, smuggling, they profit from it. It makes them money, “They are getting richer and richer and people’s pockets are getting emptier.” criticizes this Iranian woman.
Navid, for his part, is calling for sanctions but exclusively against the leaders. “We need to target our leaders and their loved ones more precisely. We know that the leaders of the Revolutionary Guards have children living in European countries. So, if you really want to help us, kick them out!” he implores. And this opponent of the regime adds that he has never managed to obtain a visa to come and study in Europe.
