Iran: the dark money behind the regime's tools of repression

DW News published this video item, entitled “Iran: the dark money behind the regime’s tools of repression | Business Special” – below is their description.

The Iranian regime has been brutally cracking down on protests in the wake of the killing of 22-year-old Jina Mahsa Amini by the country’s ‘morality police’. But there’s more to Iran’s political security force behind the brutality, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, than the supression of demonstrations. It’s the hub of a shadow economy, using front businesses to generate money for corrupt payoffs and even funding terrorist activities abroad.
In this edition of DW Business Special, our anchor Daniel Winter speaks with Kasra Aarabi, Iran Programme Lead at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, who gives a damning indictment of Iran’s ruling elite and the lengths it will go to support its violent ideology.
You can follow Daniel Winter on Twitter https://twitter.com/WinterBiz and Kasan Aarabi https://twitter.com/KasraAarabi
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In This Story: Iran

Iran, also called Persia, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, is a country in Western Asia. Its central location in Eurasia and proximity to the Strait of Hormuz give it significant geostrategic importance. Tehran is the capital and largest city.

Iran is home to one of the world’s oldest civilizations, beginning with the formation of the Elamite kingdoms in the fourth millennium BC. The Iranian Revolution established the current Islamic Republic in 1979.

Iran’s political system combines elements of a presidential democracy and an Islamic theocracy. Iran is a founding member of the UN, ECO, OIC, and OPEC. It is a major regional and middle power and has large reserves of fossil fuels — including the world’s largest natural gas supply and the third largest proven oil reserves.

The country’s rich cultural legacy is reflected in part by its 22 UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Historically a multi-ethnic country, Iran remains a pluralistic society comprising numerous ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups, the largest being Persians, Azeris, Kurds, Mazandaranis and Lurs.