From ABS-CBN:TEHRAN - Iran enters 2009 with economic woes to the fore and plummeting oil revenues set to restrict President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's public spending in an election year marked by continued international tension.
The Islamic Republic faces fresh uncertainty as newly elected US president Barack Obama takes the helm in the White House with Tehran's controversial nuclear ambitions sure to feature high on his foreign policy "to do" list.
But the simmering nuclear crisis was overshadowed by domestic policy in 2008, as Ahmadinejad faced mounting criticism at home over soaring inflation and a faltering economy.
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My Comment: It is a question of priorities. It is more important for Iran to spend billions on Hamas, Hezbollah, and its own nuclear program .... than to help their own population. As a consequence of these actions, Iran's economy is in decline, and will be for a very long time.