33 Countries of Origin’ Profiles

16 out against both individuals and social groups. The authorities still in Iran still can seem to discriminate really pretty harshly against non-Shia minorities, including other Muslim communities. The Kurds and a number of other ethnic minorities are all discriminated again in a similar way to women - both in law, so they don't have the same legal rights as the rest of the population, but they're also discriminated against on a day-to-day basis in terms of access to employment or education. CONNIE AGIUS: That seems to be the view of the Immigration Department. It says asylum seekers from Iran claim persecution on the grounds of their political opinion, race or religion. Foreign Minister Bob Carr took a different line when he said most arrivals were economic migrants. For Iranians, that too is a factor. Inflation is more than 30 per cent. The unemployment rate has sat above 10 per cent since 1997. Ali Akbar Mousavi says these issues are also a reason why people leave. ALI AKBAR MOUSAVI: After eight years of governing the country by Ahmadinejad, the economy is very bad and inflation and unemployment it increased. CONNIE AGIUS: But if political persecution and the economy aren't enough, some say international sanctions in response to the country's nuclear program are also playing a role. Western countries, including Australia, have been slapping Iran with new sanctions every year since 2006. Reza Marashi from the National Iranian American Council says the affect of these sanctions can't be underestimated. REZA MARASHI: You're hearing an increasing number of stories of medical supply shortages inside of Iran. You see the prices of food increasing, you see the prices of automobiles, you name it; typical day-to-day items that many of us in the West take for granted all becoming far more difficult for Iranians to afford and access. The sanctions that have been put in place by the United States and other Western countries, Australia included, increasingly are the primary reason why life has become so much more difficult than it used to be even one or two years ago inside of Iran. CONNIE AGIUS: These are all factors that paint a dire situation for Iranians. Until they change, it's hard to see what would stop them wanting to leave.