Solve problems? The regime IS the problem

country’s budget, and it became a major topic in domestic discourse, as Iranians publicly debated it on social media.

Citizens were fuming that a large chunk of the budget was going to organizations and “charities” that don’t benefit the public and are mostly under the control of religious entities and the supreme leader’s office.

Meanwhile, most of the population is suffering from unemployment, inflation and rising living costs.

YOUNG people, especially, are suffering. On Monday, an Iranian official admitted that more than 90 percent of people who have been arrested in this uprising are under 25 years old and don’t have a criminal record.

That speaks volumes about what has sparked the recent events in Iran.

It’s been two years since the Iran nuclear deal went through, and citizens are angry that it didn’t solve the country’s economic woes.

Unemployment has risen to 12.4 percent — among youths, the rate has climbed to 28.8 percent.

People are not seeing the improvement they expected, one of the main reasons that Iranians, especially young people looking for jobs, are upset.

Iran’s population is very young, as nearly three-quarters of citizens are under 35.

That means the majority of the population was born after the Islamic Revolution in 1979, and wants a better life with more opportunity.

Despite the government’s censorship efforts, most youths are connected to the rest of the world through the Internet and social media, especially in big cities.

But the Islamic Republic isn’t flexible enough to adopt the new visions that this new generation is demanding.

Just 10 days ago, Tehran police announced that 230 young Iranians had been arrested for attending mixed parties — with boys and

girls — on the Yalda Night, a winter-solstice celebration.

As a young Iranian, you might not have a job, or hope of getting one, and at the same time, you’re nervous about the morality police.

Of course, if you see a chance to demonstrate your frustration and anger, you will do it.

THIS week, a friend in Iran asked for help finding a virtual private network he could use to access the popular messaging app Telegram, which the government blocked after the protests erupted.

He was looking for information about where a protest was to take place the next day.

This is yet another example of the Iranian government taking the wrong approach to its people’s dissatisfaction.

Instead of working to solve the country’s problems, they choose to filter the Internet and block social-media applications. Instead of protecting the right to protest, they use tear gas and bullets to suppress peaceful gatherings.

Iran was among the first countries in the Middle East to use the Internet and social media as a way to circulate news.

That’s because people don’t trust state-run TV channels and government news agencies. The Iranian regime, like every other authoritarian regime, hates free access to information.

But Iranian citizens are always hungry for more information. They recognize that technology and social media give average citizens a voice.

It doesn’t matter where you live, when you have access to the Internet and other communication tools, you learn more and can become more powerful.

This isn’t the first time that Iranians have raised their voices and loudly demanded their fundamental rights. It won’t be the last time, either.

But I’m hopeful that, at the end of the day, those who know their rights and are willing to scream loudly for them will create change.