IRAN: HUNGARIAN DIPLOMAT TALKS OF LIFE IN THE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 001556

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/IR AND SCA/CEN

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/03/2018
TAGS: PREL PHUM PGOV IR TX
SUBJECT: IRAN: HUNGARIAN DIPLOMAT TALKS OF LIFE IN THE
ISLAMIC REPUBLIC

ASHGABAT 00001556 001.2 OF 002


Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES RICHARD MILES.
REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D).


1. (C) Summary: In a meeting with emboffs, a Hungarian
diplomat posted in Tehran described what it is like to live
and work in the Islamic Republic. He confirmed that Iran's
economy is in very bad shape, and that people are becoming
more and more critical of the government's ineptitude.
Iranians look to study abroad as a means of emigrating. End
Summary.

A HUNGARIAN DIPLOMAT'S LIFE IN TEHRAN


2. (C) Over lunch in Ashgabat on December 2, the head of the
Hungarian EMBASSY in Tehran's Economic and Trade Section,
Szabolcs Tutto, shared with emboffs his impressions about
life as a diplomat in the Iranian capital. Tutto has been
posted in Tehran for the last year and is also accredited in
Turkmenistan. He said that he enjoys Tehran, where he
resides with his family in the embassy's diplomatic compound.
The compound houses both the mission and living quarters and
is located in the northeastern suburbs of the city.
Nevertheless, he said he was enjoying his visit to Ashgabat
as it offered a short respite from Tehran's infamous traffic
and air pollution. In his neighborhood alone, he said, four
huge construction projects are underway, with work going on
24 hours a day.


3. (C) Tutto said that he has had an opportunity to meet
quite a few private Iranian businesspeople through his
efforts to promote trade and investment. He attends a Farsi
course offered by the Iranian MFA for foreign diplomats. He
finds the average Iranian "disinterested" in politics, and
more focused on their day-to-day lives and trying to get by
despite the 50 percent inflation rate (the official rate is
27 percent). The local staff employed by the EMBASSY
generally does not comment on political matters, although the
custodian, he said, will often refer to President Ahmadinejad
derisively by the nickname "Ahmaqeh-nejad" ("idiot's
offspring").

A PREFERENCE FOR FOREIGN EDUCATION


4. (C) Tutto's 3-year old daughter attends an Italian
preschool, he said, where most of the children are Iranian.
He and his wife socialize occasionally with the parents of
her classmates, attending children's birthday parties and
other celebrations. Politics is not discussed at these
gatherings, and none of the women cover their heads in the
presence of male guests. In general, Iranian parents who
have the means are anxious to enroll their children in
foreign language preschools, in the hope of providing an
opportunity for them to study abroad later and leave Iran.
Tuition at the Italian school costs 1600 Euros a year, and
the German school is higher (4500 Euros). Most Iranians
prefer and admire western lifestyles and attitudes,
particularly the United States. Anyone who can is trying to
leave Iran because the people "dislike the system and cannot
make a decent living." "Emigration" firms are proliferating,
with advertisements everywhere offering the possibility of
emigrating to Canada or the U.S.


5. (C) Despite a rise in financial scams in Iran, Tutto said
that he finds Iranians to be quite honest. When he
mistakenly overpays a shopkeeper, they will point this out
and give him back the excess. The average income in Tehran
(less in the provinces) is about USD 500 per month. Many
people hold two jobs just to get by, a situation that he said
reminds him of Hungary after the fall of communism.


6. (C) Tutto said that when meeting with Iranian government
officials, he never wears a tie, because respecting this
aspect of the male dress code gives him much more credibility
with his interlocutors. He said that although alcohol
consumption is strictly prohibited, non-Muslims are allowed
to drink in Tehran's Armenian restaurants. In fact,
non-Muslims are allowed to make wine and spirits at home

ASHGABAT 00001556 002.2 OF 002


(many of his colleagues do this as a hobby),as long as it is
not sold or served to Muslims.

DIPLOMATIC POLICE SURVEILLANCE


7. (C) The "diplomatic police" have guards posted outside all
foreign diplomatic missions, he said. Most are unarmed, but
outside embassies that face a higher security threat, such as
Afghanistan's, the police carry AK-47s. They keep close
track of the comings and goings at embassies, noting license
plate numbers. Tutto said that while he has never been
followed around town, he has no doubt that his phone calls
and internet messages are monitored. The "diplomatic police"
recently harassed one of his embassy's local staff, accusing
her of not possessing the correct working permit. He said
that Iranians employed by foreign embassies or private
companies are officially required to hold a special work
permit from the authorities for this purpose, although most
do not.


8. (C) Among university students, the most popular subjects
are English and business courses. Again, it is believed that
they offer the best hopes of securing employment abroad and
an opportunity to emigrate. He said that there currently are
about 2000 Iranians studying at Hungarian universities.

EFFECTS OF THE GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS


9. (C) Tutto said that after the worldwide financial crisis
occurred, the Iranian government continued to announce that
Iran was "unaffected" because of its uniquely "independent"
status. It soon became apparent, particularly when oil
prices dropped, that the effects on its economy were
devastating, which he says are clearly much worse than those
caused by the sanctions. A letter signed by a number of
respected Iranian economists was recently circulated
criticizing the government's economic policies, he said. In
general, the average person up until now has been insulated
from the effects of sanctions because of the government's
vast subsidy program for basic goods. More and more
Iranians, however, are opening criticizing the government's
economic policies, calling them "stupid."


10. (C) Comment: Our Hungarian colleague offers an
interesting window on life as a diplomat in Iran. As he also
reports on economic issues in Turkmenistan, he plans to visit
Ashgabat several times a year and will contact us whenever he
is in town. End comment.
MILES