Iraanse élite leeft in weelde, rest in armoede

Iran’s ultra-rich reportedly are a mixture of the well-connected. There are the people in the banking sector, as well as the technocrats with talent, valued and rewarded by the regime. Then there are the clergy close to the regime, because not all clergy are in lock-step with the hardliners running the country. The elite is rounded out by a segment of the Revolutionary Guard corps who control trade and smuggling, and finally those with their tentacles around the “bonyads,” or charitable organizations, such as the Foundation for the Oppressed and Disabled, that often end up being convenient money-laundering vehicles.