Set up as ‘rainy day’ funds to protect oil-rich countries from economic shocks, sovereign wealth funds are an important economic stabilizer for Middle Eastern countries. While the volume of Iran’s fund is relatively high, it fails to meet the needs of its growing population. In comparison with its o
The government has allocated 22 trillion Tomans (about $450 million, at an exchange rate of 48,800 Tomans/$1) in the currency budget for the “promotion of Islamic ethics and culture” by banks and for-profit institutions, an Iran Open Data analysis has shown. Although the budget does not contain a sp
Official data from the Iranian government indicates that 97% of Iranian territory is experiencing varying degrees of long-term drought. According to the latest statistics from the National Drought Center, almost all regions of Iran are facing problems associated with decreased rainfall and increased
In this regional analysis, we compare Iran’s oil and gas industry with Oman, one of few regional countries with good political relations with Iran. This is an unlikely comparison, as Oman is considered a minnow in the global oil & gas scene, whereas Iran has the largest combined oil and gas reserves
A group of political stakeholders including the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) receive as much as 20 trillion Tomans (about $421.9 million, at an exchange rate of 47,400 Tomans/$1) worth of “free bitumen” from the Iranian government, an Iran Open Data analysis has shown. One of the provis
Iran’s leaders are trying to portray the Islamic republic as heading in the right direction, using the recent truce with Saudi Arabia as an example, and by assuring the beleaguered Iranian business community that a new agreement on its nuclear program is on the horizon. Reviving the JCPOA will attra
Iran’s steel industry, once seen as formidable in the region, is lagging behind that of neighbouring countries. Although Iran has steadily increased its steel output in the past two decades, the industry has not kept up with the technological advances deployed elsewhere in the region. As a result, I
The possibility of pension fund bankruptcy looms large in Iran, portending a major and unprecedented threat to Iran’s economy and society.An Iranian government official recently elaborated on the severity of the pension funds crisis. He compared it to the Greek economic crisis of the past decade, wh
Double-digit inflation rates have left the Iranian government struggling to pay pensions to eligible citizens. As a solution, the Director General of Social Insurance of Iran’s Ministry of Labour Sajjad Padam recently suggested the government may need to sell its assets such as Kish & Qeshm Islands
The reluctance of Iranian leaders to the global energy transition, which has seen other fossil fuel-rich nations invest heavily in renewable energy infrastructure, leaves the country exposed to major economic shocks.The so-called Energy Transition is especially prevalent in OECD countries, which inc
Every year since 1979, the Victory Anniversary of the Revolution ceremony has been held on February 11th (22 Bahman in the Iranian calendar). This ceremony has been the subject of endless debate and controversy between supporters and opponents of the political system. About 97% of respondents did no
Iran Open Data’s investigation shows a large numerical discrepancy between macroeconomic data reported by the Central Bank and the Statistical Center of Iran. Over the past two years, for example, the difference between their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) calculations is about 2 quadrillion Tomans (a
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