Iran's President, Pezeshkian, fired his deputy, Shahram Dabiri, who took an expensive trip to Antarctica with his wife during Nowruz. The president's office called the trip impossible to justify when many Iranians face money problems. Many people became angry after seeing photos on social media showing Dabiri and his wife in front of the MV Plancius heading to the South Pole.
Pezeshkian said on Saturday he removed Dabiri from his job as vice president of parliamentary affairs. He did not accept the excuse that Dabiri paid for the trip himself. The president stated clearly that government officials should not enjoy luxury travels when regular people struggle with daily costs. He added that such behavior goes against the values of simplicity expected from leaders.
The Iranian economy struggles under heavy Western sanctions partly because Iran supports groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. These groups appear on terror lists in the US, the UK, and the EU. The country faces 8.4% unemployment and 29.5% yearly inflation, according to recent IMF data. These numbers show why citizens felt upset seeing a government official on such an expensive holiday.
The Antarctica trip costs at least $6,685 per person on the MV Plancius ship. Most people who visit this remote continent work as scientists or experienced explorers. Tourist cruises have become more popular recently. The Dutch ship seen in Dabiri's photo served the Royal Netherlands Navy for research between 1976 and 2004 before becoming a cruise vessel.
Details remain unclear about which travel package Dabiri chose or how he traveled from Iran to Antarctica. Many tour packages start from Ushuaia, Argentina, located about 3,079km from Buenos Aires. President Pezeshkian won last year's election by promising to fix the economy and make life better for Iranians. He replaced Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash. Iranian media reported that many of Pezeshkian's supporters pushed him to fire Dabiri as public anger grew about the luxury trip during hard economic times.
Pezeshkian said on Saturday he removed Dabiri from his job as vice president of parliamentary affairs. He did not accept the excuse that Dabiri paid for the trip himself. The president stated clearly that government officials should not enjoy luxury travels when regular people struggle with daily costs. He added that such behavior goes against the values of simplicity expected from leaders.
The Iranian economy struggles under heavy Western sanctions partly because Iran supports groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. These groups appear on terror lists in the US, the UK, and the EU. The country faces 8.4% unemployment and 29.5% yearly inflation, according to recent IMF data. These numbers show why citizens felt upset seeing a government official on such an expensive holiday.
The Antarctica trip costs at least $6,685 per person on the MV Plancius ship. Most people who visit this remote continent work as scientists or experienced explorers. Tourist cruises have become more popular recently. The Dutch ship seen in Dabiri's photo served the Royal Netherlands Navy for research between 1976 and 2004 before becoming a cruise vessel.
Details remain unclear about which travel package Dabiri chose or how he traveled from Iran to Antarctica. Many tour packages start from Ushuaia, Argentina, located about 3,079km from Buenos Aires. President Pezeshkian won last year's election by promising to fix the economy and make life better for Iranians. He replaced Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash. Iranian media reported that many of Pezeshkian's supporters pushed him to fire Dabiri as public anger grew about the luxury trip during hard economic times.
