Social networking sites are witnessing an outcry led by Iranian activists against regime symbols, protesting against corruption and extravagance of the oligarchs who spend lavishly, while the majority suffer from major difficulties in an economy facing tougher US sanctions.
The country has seen a wave of protests over the past year that the regime has met with repression, but as economic pressure mounts, people are increasingly pointing fingers at money-holders, including clerics, diplomats, officials and their families.
Among the dissenters is Sayed Mahdi Sadr al-Sadati, a relatively obscure cleric who has more than 256,000 followers on the Integrum website, where he writes leaflets aimed at the elite.
The Lying Tiger
In one of his recent publications, he criticized the "life of the boar" of the Revolutionary Guards commander and his son, who posted a personal photo on the Internet, standing in front of a tiger lying on the balcony of a palace.
The mere public criticism of a member of the Revolutionary Guard, the powerful military unit reporting directly to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, is in itself an unusual act of defiance.
"This is all for a 25-year-old who can not make such a fortune ... People are having great difficulty getting diapers for their children," wrote Sadr al-Sadati.
The price of the Iranian currency fell to 149,000 riyals to the dollar on the black market used in most transactions from about 43 thousand at the beginning of 2018, when the US president vowed to withdraw from the nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers, which aims to curb its nuclear program.
That cost the cost of living soaring sharply and reducing imports as the threat of US financial sanctions pushed many foreign companies out of Iran or away. It could get worse after additional sanctions took effect this week.
"Sultan of Currency"
Fearing growing resentment at the relative richness of a few of the country's 81 million people, Khamenei agreed to set up special courts focused on financial crimes.
The courts have issued at least seven death sentences since its establishment last August, and some trials have been televised on air.
Among those sentenced to death was Waheed Mazloumin, whom the local media called the "currency authority", a trader accused of manipulating the exchange market and allegedly seized two tons of gold coins, the ISNA news agency reported.
But tougher sanctions were not enough to curb discontent, and senior officials and clerics became in the crossfire of criticism.
"Because of the deteriorating economic situation, people are looking for those who blame him and in this way avenge the country's leaders and officials," said Said Lailaz, an economic and political analyst based in Tehran.
Washington is likely to welcome signs that the country's religious and political establishment is under pressure, hoping to force Tehran, through economic pressure, to curb its nuclear program and back down from its plans to extend its military and political influence in the Middle East.
Public anger has been brewing among Iranians for some time. The protests began because of economic difficulties late last year, and spread in more than 80 cities and towns, killing at least 25 people.
The "clergy" are corrupt
In addition to his written contributions, al-Sadat published videos of discussions with some of his critics.
In one debate, Mehdi Mazaheri, the son of a former central bank governor who was criticized on the Internet after publishing a photograph wearing a huge gold watch,
"How did you get rich? How much money did your life start and how much do you have now?
Mazaheri, who appeared unable to respond, said he was ready to publish documents on his finances.
The children of more than a dozen other officials have been criticized on the Internet and are often referred to as "Aghazadeh," which literally means "Persian," but is also a derogatory term used to describe their ostentation.
Critics also targeted prominent clerics.
Mohammad Naji Lutfi, who was Friday sermon at a mosque in Iran's western Iran, resigned in October after being criticized for social networking because of a picture of him emerging from a luxury sports car.
And described the leaflets on Facebook Lutfi Almnafaf, to shed light in his speeches on ways to enable ordinary Iranians to overcome the economic crisis. The wave of anger was a key factor in his resignation from his 18-year tenure.
"The hype that was raised against me and I in this position led me to resign, fearing that the position of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Revolution would be damaged in the midst of this noise," Lutfi told state media after his resignation.
"The question of the car ... lies in the lies of the Internet."
He is one of at least four clerics responsible for Friday prayers who have resigned in the past year after being charged with social networking sites with money and financial misdemeanors.
