Hassan Rouhani: If the gasoline price hike was supposed to disrupt the country’s situation, why did the unrest start on Friday night?
Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran during the eleventh and twelfth governments, said in a meeting with the editorial staff of the Ettemad newspaper: ‘One day I told Mr. Rahmani Fazli that since we have approved the gasoline price increase and the heads of the three branches have signed it, the timing is up to you because whenever we suggest a time, you say it’s not suitable. So, you go ahead and implement it on any Friday night that you find suitable, whether this week or in the coming weeks, but make sure it’s done within the next three to four weeks. There’s no need to check the timing with me anymore, just go ahead and execute it.’
When I woke up in the morning to perform the morning prayer, I saw on the news ticker that gasoline had become more expensive the previous night. The truth is, I found out on Friday morning.
If the gasoline price increase was supposed to disrupt the country’s situation, it should have happened on Friday morning, noon, or afternoon. Why did the unrest start on Friday night? All the planning to bring people to the streets was done for Friday.