With the start of the coming Persian year on March 21, the budget of Iran's state broadcaster will be increased by around 50% to €35 million ($36m).

However, this hike comes amid an ongoing economic crisis in Iran, where the population is becoming poorer by the day due to rampant inflation.

According to a report by the parliamentary research center, the share of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, or IRIB, in the total government budget will be higher than the budgets of ten ministries together.

In Iran, media are controlled by the state according to the constitution and private media are not permitted.

The broadcaster is under the authority of religious and political leader Ayatollah Khamenei, who appoints its head directly.

"Ayatollah Khamenei has repeatedly expressed his dissatisfaction with IRIB's performance in recent years," Abdollah Abdi, the founder and director of Abdi Media, an independent media company in Switzerland, told DW. Previously, he had worked for IRIB.

"Khamenei criticizes the broadcaster because the large and highly staffed organization is........

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