In between headlines about the impact of US sanctions on the Iranian economy and the "grand" Sino-Iranian deal billed by Tehran as an economic elixir, important questions linger: Why has the Iranian economy struggled to prosper over the past 40 years despite massive oil revenues? Who is to blame for the current devastation? And, will the current medieval theocracy finally craft an economic panacea?
Long before international sanctions, the Iranian economy fell victim to a clique of unelected mullahs itching to seize Iran's immeasurable riches. They began to run affairs much like the mafia would. Economic policies were designed to facilitate the mullahs' theft and extortion rather than developing the overall economy. Those who protested were brutally silenced.
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