Iran is active in rebuilding Lebanon, but unable to solve internal problems

In a situation where dilapidated schools are still in danger of collapsing in Iran, many areas are deprived of basic facilities and the housing crisis that created problems for millions of people, the authorities of Iran are talking about the beginning of cooperation for the reconstruction of Lebanon.

In his latest statement, Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, Speaker of the Islamic Council, has emphasized the need to start reconstruction projects in Lebanon, while in Iran, the government has repeatedly raised the excuse of lack of funds for not taking care of critical infrastructure.

Iran’s schools are collapsing, but the priority is Lebanon

One of the most important internal problems of Iran is the critical situation of partial-damaged schools. According to official statistics, more than 30pc of the country’s schools are dilapidated and unsafe, and every year incidents such as fire, roof collapse, and even death and injury of students are reported as a result of this dilapidation.

Nevertheless, the Iranian government does not allocate funds for the reconstruction of these schools, but at the same time, it is ready to spend billions of Iranians money from the country’s resources for the reconstruction of Lebanon. This is despite the fact that Lebanon, unlike many regions of Iran, also benefits from international financial resources and many foreign countries have stepped in to help this country.

Housing crisis in Iran

In addition to educational problems, the housing issue is another serious crisis in the country that has faced millions of Iranians with livelihood problems. Housing prices have multiplied in recent years and many people have lost the ability to even rent a small unit.

Despite this crisis, the Iranian government has not presented any comprehensive plan to solve the housing problem, and even the half-finished projects “Maskan Mehr” and “National Housing Movement” have been abandoned due to lack of funds. But the same government, which is unable to solve the domestic housing crisis, is now thinking of rebuilding Lebanon.

Iran’s money spends abroad, while the people are poor

This is not the first time that the Islamic Republic spends the country’s resources on other countries instead of taking care of the needs of the Iranian people. In recent years, billions of dollars have been spent on rebuilding Syria, supporting proxy groups in Iraq, providing financial aid to Yemen, and strengthening Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

These policies continue while the majority of Iranian people are struggling with severe economic crisis, widespread poverty, unemployment and rampant inflation.

The government of Iran, which claims that it does not have enough resources to rebuild dilapidated schools, solve the housing crisis and improve the living conditions of the Iranian people, is at the same time ready to spend billions of Iranian money to rebuild Lebanon. These policies show the authorities’ obvious disregard for internal problems and wrong priorities of the ruling system.

The intention is not to attack why Tehran is helping Lebanon, but the issue is that Iranian people are living in dire situation. The regional countries must help Lebanon to stand on their own feet, and the support must go to them.

The focal point is that Iranian people are getting poorer every day and the country’s infrastructure is collapsing, but the government is still thinking of consolidating its regional influence through foreign projects instead of solving internal problems.