The Unstable Seat of Iran’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance
The unstable seat of Iran’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance is highlighted by the economic statistics announced by the government and even the Statistical Center of Iran, as well as statements from officials, which suggest that Iran’s economy is on the right track. However, the economic reality of people’s livelihoods and financial and capital markets, along with the decline in the national currency’s value, loudly proclaim that Iran’s economy is faltering, and the economic path ahead for Iran is more uncertain than ever.
In this situation, news of the Minister of Economic Affairs’ resignation is circulated by some media outlets, a piece of news that is incorrectly denied by the head of the Information Council. Regardless of whether this news was orchestrated by the government or not, and whether the designers’ ultimate goal was achieved or not, and whether, like other resigned ministers, the minister was actually dismissed, which remains unspoken for now, the main story is what impact the presence or absence of the minister can have on Iran’s economy and its markets.
When government policies and decisions result in nothing but the increase in gold coin and currency rates, it can be said with full confidence that the government, which claims to improve the economy despite the ineffectiveness of sanctions and regional insecurities in managing the country’s economy, not only has not been successful in similar conditions today but has also faced greater failures. Accepting the conditions and striving to solve them is itself a step towards compensating for failures, which holds no meaning in this government.
Alongside the news of the Minister of Economic Affairs’ resignation, financial and capital markets moved in parallel directions. The dollar seems to have wings to fly, while gold coins and gold appear to have broken free from their restraints, and the inflation has become so severe that the head of the Gold Union has asked people not to buy at the moment, as these price hikes are certainly bubbles.
In contrast, the stock market has once again been grounded. It is impossible to speak accurately about economic growth, employment, production, etc. Despite this, Seyed Ebrahim Raisi, the president of the thirteenth government, once again emphasized his past statements and announced in a gathering of representatives of organizations, movements, and student activists that the people’s government has never stopped the country’s growth and progress due to sanctions, threats, and pressures. Today, considering the enemy’s efforts to discourage people, especially the younger generation, the criterion and measure of patriotism and revolutionary spirit is to create hope in the face of despair, and we are certain that by relying on motivated, determined, and present people and youth, we will be able to overcome many problems.
These statements are made while the thirteenth government is in its third year and unfortunately has not been successful in fulfilling its electoral promises. Perhaps in the past seven months, the effects of war in the region have overshadowed Iran’s economy, and price instability has its roots in political uncertainty. However, the issue is that even before the start of the Gaza war, we witnessed price hikes in all economic sectors and a lack of investment and employment growth.
Abbas Abdi, a journalist and political activist, reacting to the current situation, wrote on the X network that with the current state of affairs, if the events of the second half of 2019 had occurred in this government, the currency prices would have certainly multiplied in a short time.
The intensification of Trump’s sanctions, the violent protests of November 2019, the killing of Qasem Soleimani, the shooting down of the Ukrainian plane, the attack on Ain al-Asad, and the coronavirus are what differentiate the current government from the previous one. Now, amidst the government’s lack of control over the currency and gold discussions, which inadvertently legitimizes unofficial and speculative markets, news of the dismissal of the Minister of Economic Affairs is circulating in the media and virtual space.
In this context, Sepehr Khalaji, the head of the government’s Information Council, reacts on his social media account on X by stating that economic terrorists, alongside the terrorists of the Damascus and Chabahar attacks, are busy bombarding public opinion with false news. Increasing uncertainty and fueling inflationary expectations are their main strategies these days.
The instillation of instability in the government’s economic team through the production of fake news should be analyzed and evaluated within this framework. This reaction once again highlights the government’s forward escape in facing economic realities, as officials, instead of making accurate and economic statements about the current economic situation, attempt to deceive not the public but themselves using strange words.