Araz News: 20 million people are living in Iran’s city outskirts, according to the regime’s parliamentary Social Commission chair. In a recent interview with state TV, Salman Khodadadi said 35% of the country’s population is living in such conditions, adding this is not an issue that can be resolved in a short period Ncr reported on 09 April 2017.

This phenomenon is the result of the Iranian regime plundering the people’s wealth and destroying the country’s production lines. Furthermore, entities such as the Revolutionary Guards are in control of a large swathe of Iran’s economy.

The relationship between poverty and people living in city outskirts are directly related. A large percentage of Iran’s population are forced to find refuge in city outskirts.

In an interview with the parliament news agency Iranian MP Homayoun Hashemi said this trend has been increasing.

“11 provinces across the country are faced with the outskirt city crisis,” said Reza Mahboubi, an advisor to the Interior Minister and Deputy Interior Minister in social affairs, said in an interview with state TV.

“The work of the Road and Construction Ministry and the Health Ministry, aimed at rendering developments in people’s health, confirm these numbers,” he added.

Unofficial residential areas and people living in city outskirts in Khuzestan Province, southwest Iran, has increased, according to the province governor.

Alireza A’rafi, a mullah in charge of religious schools, described people living in city outskirts as a sign of social damages.

One of the reasons behind this escalating crisis is the annihilation of agricultural production, leading to villagers migrating to city outskirts.

“Around 33,000 villages across the country are empty of any residents,” according to the semi-official Quds Online website citing remarks made by the Iranian vice president in charge of village development.

“Studies indicate decreasing incomes amongst villagers resulting from a lowering amount of cultivation, shortage in water resources and grounds being sold, migration from villages to cities are continuing, strengthening the phenomenon of more people living in city outskirts and Iran’s villages being annihilated,” this website added.

After four decades of the Iranian regime being in power, the number of people living in city outskirts, especially outside large cities, has grown to an unprecedented scale.