Iran draws on sex, drugs to save economy

Sherif Abdel Zaher

Iran’s cash-strapped mullah regime on the back of US sanctions is considering sex and drug trafficking to get hard currency. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has introduced new mechanisms to save the economy drawing on drugs.

According to an RT report, there are around 2.8 million citizens – roughly 2.5 percent of Iran’s population – are consuming drugs regularly, with opium accounting for 67 percent of consumption, marijuana 12 percent and methamphetamine approximately 8 percent.

A US State Department report said that prostitution and drugs have been on the rise in Iran over the past three years as the Revolutionary Guards use women and girls in the sex trade.

Moreover, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards has been implementing an independent financial policy, which based on drug trafficking, arms trade and boosting ties with Hezbollah.

Researcher Waleed Ismail, an expert on Iranian affairs, said that Iran aims at increasing its national income to save the economy on the back of US sanctions.

“The Afghan security forces have seized big shipments of drugs that were on their way to Iran. That exposes Iran’s plans in the wake of US sanctions,” Ismail added.

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