Chair of the Minister of Economy and Finance of Iran

The chair of the Minister of Economy and Finance of Iran

The chair of the Minister of Economy and Finance of Iran, the economic statistics announced by the government and even the Statistical Center of Iran, and the statements of the country’s officials confirm that Iran’s economy has been moving in the right direction. However, the economic reality of people’s livelihoods, financial markets, and the depreciation of the national currency cry out that Iran’s economy is lagging behind and the economic path ahead for Iran is more ambiguous than ever.

Now, in these circumstances, news from some media outlets emerges about the resignation of the Minister of Economy. A news that is rightly denied by the head of the Information Council for being improperly reported, regardless of whether the design of this news was by the government itself or not, and whether the ultimate goal of the designers has been achieved or not. And whether, like the resigned ministers of the government, he has been dismissed or not, which for now remains silent. The essence of the story is whether the presence or absence of the minister can have an impact on Iran’s economy and its markets.

When government policies and decisions do not result in any improvement other than increasing the rates of gold, currency, and foreign exchange, it can be clearly said that the government, despite the ineffectiveness of sanctions and regional instabilities in managing the country’s economy, has not only failed to succeed in similar conditions today but has also faced even more failures. Because accepting the conditions and striving to resolve them is a step towards compensating for failures, which has no meaning in this government.

Alongside the news of the resignation of the Minister of Economy, financial markets seem to be moving in parallel. The dollar apparently is soaring, while gold and coins seem to have gone wild, and the rise has reached such an extent that the head of the Gold Union has asked people not to buy for now, which definitely indicates that these price hikes are a bubble.

Despite the stock market falling again, one cannot accurately attribute the growth of the economy, employment, production, etc. to it. Nevertheless, President Ebrahim Raisi reiterated his past statements once again, emphasizing in the presence of representatives of associations, movements, and student activists that a people’s government has never stopped the country’s growth and progress under the pretext of sanctions, threats, and pressures. Today, in the face of the enemy’s efforts to discourage the people, especially the young generation, optimism is a criterion for patriotism and revolutionary spirit against despair, and we are confident that relying on the people and motivated youth, with determination and readiness, we will be able to overcome many challenges.

These statements are made in a situation where the thirteenth government is in its third year, and unfortunately, it has not been successful in fulfilling its election promises. Perhaps the effects of the war in the region have cast a shadow on Iran’s economy in the past 7 months, and the instability of prices may have its roots in political uncertainty. However, the issue is that even before the start of the Gaza war, we witnessed inflation in all economic sectors and a lack of investment and employment growth.

Abbas Abdi, a journalist and political activist, in response to the current situation, wrote on X network that with the current conditions, if the events of the second half of 2019 had occurred in this government, the currency exchange rate would have definitely multiplied several times in a short period.

The intensification of Trump’s sanctions, the violent protests of November 2019, the killing of Qasem Soleimani, the downing of the Ukrainian plane, the attack on Ain al-Assad, and the coronavirus distinguish the current government from the previous one. Now, amidst the government’s lack of control over the currency and coin issue, it inadvertently legitimizes both unofficial and official markets and profiteering. News of the dismissal of the Minister of Economy spreads hand to hand in the media and virtual space.

In this regard, Sepehr Khalaji, the head of the government’s Information Council, shows a reaction on his X social media account, saying that economic terrorists, alongside the terrorists behind the attacks in Damascus and Chabahar, are busy bombarding public opinion with fake news, increasing uncertainty and fueling inflation are their main strategies these days.

The impact of instability in the government’s economic team with the production of fake news should be analyzed and evaluated within this framework. This reaction once again reveals the government’s escaping from economic realities, as officials try to deceive not public opinion with accurate and economic statements about the current economic situation, but with strange words.