Lawmaker Says Iranians Struggle To Cope With 'Maximum Pressure'

Iran International Newsroom
People in a crowded Tehran street in November 2021
People in a crowded Tehran street in November 2021

Politicians and the public are voicing concern over rising inflation in Iran while officials' promises to lower prices and tackle poverty prove to be hollow.

A deputy industry minister who promised on Wednesday to bring down prices overnight to their early March level was harshly mocked on social media, while some remembered President Ebrahim Raisi's promise in mid-March to end poverty within two weeks.

Hardline daily Jomhouri Eslami warned on Thursday that "Iran will be facing a difficult situation if wise decisions are not made to revive the 2015 nuclear deal" as a bid to lift the US sanctions that have paralyzed Iran's economy and made life difficult for ordinary people.

The daily further warned that delay in resuming talks currently suspended, is having damaging impact on Iran's economy. This comes while Iranian officials have been promising for months that negotiations are in their final stages and an economic breakthrough is on its way.

In the meantime, prices of essential commodities, cars, construction material, foodstuff and household goods have been constantly on the rise, particularly after the change of government in August 2021, the daily noted. “The situation is approaching a state of instability and there are concerns about an upcoming difficult situation if wise decisions are not made quickly."

On Wednesday, Amanghelich Shadmehr, an Iranian lawmaker from Gonbad Kavous criticized government officials for ignoring the economic problems and called on them to prevent an upcoming catastrophe, Aftab News website reported.

President Ebrahim Raisi among conservative lawmakers in January, who are increasingly becoming his critics.
President Ebrahim Raisi among conservative lawmakers in January, who are increasingly becoming his critics.

He said "Raisi's declared priority was solving the country's economic problems. Now the people's patience is running out. They are struggling to cope with the maximum pressure." Shadmehr added that "the economic burden on the people's shoulder are so heavy that that a new straw will break their back."

It is not clear if he intentionally used the phrase 'maximum pressure', which is how the former US administration labeled its sanctions on Iran.

The lawmaker further warned that people cannot tolerate any further taxe increases or unusual decisions to raise fuel prices. He suggested that the government should start fighting the dragon of corruption by preventing the activities of monopolies and dealers who contribute to inflation.

He said that many young Iranians have left the country looking for jobs abroad, adding that around 100,000 young men from the Golestan Province have left for other provinces and some of them have gone to Turkey to look for a job.

Meanwhile, an April 14 report on the conservative news website Tabnak pointed out the cost of housing for tenants has been climbing in an unusually fast tempo, warning that 8 million Iranians will be facing problems when they need to renew their rental contracts this summer.

Rents in Iran are usually renewed in the summer before the opening of schools in September.

The report added that the government has not been able to provide financial facilities for first-time home buyers and has also failed to set a limit for rent increases, which have take away a large parts of wage earners’ income.

This comes while the average rent in January showed a 50.9-percent rise compared to the same time in the previous winter.