What's It Really Like to Live in Iran

For many people in the Western Hemisphere, the Islamic Republic of Iran is somewhat of a mystery. We know this country to have been the seat of the great Persian Empire, which was formed around 600 BC until about the Romans defeated Sasanian rulers before the Islamic era; however, the Muslim conquest actually extended the empire until World War I, which was disastrous for Iran despite being a neutral country in that conflict.

These days, the Islamic Republic is a modern sovereign jurisdiction in Southwest Asia; the name of the country is an allusion to its system of government, which follows Sharia law, but this should not be thought of as religious zealotry. Countries such as the United States follow common law while others such as Mexico follow civil law; Iran follows Sharia just like Afghanistan and Pakistan. That the Iranian Constitution establishes a theocracy under Allah is not exceptional; Costa Rica and the Vatican are just two countries that are constitutionally Catholic, and Israel is a Jewish State.

In terms of what it is like for Iranians to enjoy their lives, let's just say that this is a country where more than 80 million people try to make a living. Once again, this is not exceptional because that happens to be the case all around the world. Let's compare Iran to other countries that are constitutionally religious: Costa Rica and Denmark. The former, as mentioned above, is Catholic while the latter is Lutheran. Similar to Iran, Denmark is an oil-rich country, but Costa Rica has zero oil and no desire to explore for hydrocarbons. The difference between these three countries is that both Costa Rica and Denmark score very high on the World Happiness Report while Iran unfortunately ranks very low.

Iran is a land of "haves" and "have-nots," which economists characterize as income or wealth inequality. This situation can also be observed across the world, but the Iranian "have-nots" vastly outnumber their wealthy counterparts. The problem is that the good people of Iran, descendants of the great Persian Empire, have quite a few more issues to worry about than the good people of Costa Rica and Denmark. We know more about the crisis in Venezuela, a country that has vast oil reservoirs and active production like Iran, and we know that humanitarian aid is desperately needed over there, but geopolitical factors prevent this from happening.

For millions of people, life in Iran is hard, and this is exacerbated because humanitarian trade is being impeded by the draconian foreign policies of the United States under the chaotic administration of President Donald Trump. You can learn more about this topic through the writings of Middle East expert Amir Handjani, who explains in detail how the various sanctions imposed on the Islamic Republic have virtually stopped humanitarian trade, which is not the same as humanitarian aid, from reaching Iranian people.

The bottom line of living in Iran is that it is not easy; families raise children and do their best to help their neighbors, who are often members of Muslim or Christian minorities, but their efforts are often hampered by geopolitics. Otherwise, Iranians are like the rest of us, although their home-cooked meals are likely spicier and more delicious, but only when they have the ingredients to prepare them.