Tehran – In a world where Palestinian children are starving under terrorist accusations, the Israeli Prime Minister receives standing ovation and unwavering support in Western political circles to support “democracy” despite being a war criminal, and the US president is not surprised to see sovereign nations selling American states.
A recent economist article accusing Iran of framing Iran’s legal fruit and vegetable imports as “smuggling” to the UAE and being believed to have failed to support farmers in the UAE government, and insisting that Iran will repackage food exports. Economic survival of 90 million people.
Analysts believe that the article labeling Iranian fruits and vegetables as “forbidden” and claiming that entry into the neighbouring Persian Gulf state is somehow “corrupted,” represents yet another coordinated effort to curb Iran’s revenue stream. Traditionally, it has relied on oil, a sector affected by heavy US sanctions, but Iran has been able to significantly increase its non-oil exports in recent years. But even in countries that have withstanded more than 40 years of sanctions and adapted to countless restrictions, this latest propaganda campaign has shown new lows.
So far, neither Iranian officials nor UAE authorities have been bothered to respond to this article. But within Iran, the reaction has been explosive – a mixture of raw anger, bitter laughs and total mistrust is flooded with social media.
Last week, a Western-funded news channel became the first Persian broadcaster to platform economists’ controversial reports. In the virus clip circulating on X, the anchor says that Iranian agricultural exports “threatening regional food security” before asking remote guests how to “disrupt” cross-border trade that is essentially legitimate.
The London-based outlet has faced a fierce backlash since the Iran-Israel war and has openly supported the Israeli regime’s strike against Iranian soil. “First, I praise the bomb that falls into our city. Do you want us to starve now? One user from X said. Her profile says, “26. Accountant. Tehran. We’re trying to survive.”
Other reactions dripping with irony. “Is breathing Iranian air the next time will be banned?” said one user. Another thing is, “We can enjoy Iranian melons with our family tonight. I hope that West and Israel are not illegal either.”
There were also quite a few intense reactions on X. One male user described the sight of a Western-based Iranian journalist “making him sick.” “I’m physically tired of watching these people on TV right now,” he wrote. “I was watching them, but their propaganda only poisons the mind.” An Iranian-American who showed he attended a rally in the West in search of the fall of the Islamic Republic said, “The Islamic Republic has handed over these ‘journalists’ and put them on trial,” he said he supports it. “Traitors deserve justice,” he added. Anchors who shared the video ended up blocking most important accounts, as users reported.
Furthermore, the economist article spurred discussions on why the West continues to mercilessly pressure on Iran on the economy, military and diplomatic sides. This topic is particularly hot among younger Iranians who have seen different prism politics since the Iranian and Israeli war.
“I really don’t follow the news,” said the girl, a makeup influencer (only 19), posted on her Instagram story. “But from a young age, I’ve only heard how our nuclear program and missiles are a problem. Now, are they doing a big deal about our aubergines?” She shared the same photo of the Aubergines that is on the Tehran Times cover today.