A Parliament Representative Exposes: The 'Expediency Council' Completely Altered the Car Import Bill

A member of the Islamic Consultative Assembly reported significant changes to the car import bill by the 'Expediency Council' and stated that in car imports, 'only the interests of domestic automakers are considered,' leaving 'the people effectively empty-handed.' Rouhollah Izadkhah declared that one of the goals of the car import plan was 'to eliminate the monopoly in imports' and emphasized that due to the interference of the Expediency Council, this bill has 'hit a bump.' Izadkhah identified the Expediency Council as the reason for the bill's departure from 'effectiveness in favor of the people' and said, 'We considered car imports to solve the country's problem in this area, but the Expediency Council imposed restrictions for this work and assigned imports to specific companies under the title of qualified companies.' This representative stressed that the car import bill is structured in a way that again secures the interests of the 'domestic automakers' club. These statements come as he previously revealed Mustafa Mir-Salim's interference in this matter, stating that 'the morning of the day the car import bill was approved in the chamber, Mr. Mir-Salim told me that he would support this bill in the Expediency Council.' Iranian media consider the role of the car mafia in the changes made and the obstacles created to remove the market from monopoly as undeniable, and in this context, the website 'Tabnak' declared Mustafa Mir-Salim, a current member of Parliament and a member of the Expediency Council, as 'the representative of the car mafia.' The 'Tabnak' website referenced Rouhollah Izadkhah's remarks, stating that 'the car mafia consists of individuals who have formed a car club that sits within the flawed and problematic structure of the automotive industry and has taken control of the market through actions such as preventing imports. These individuals are present in the Ministry of Industry, Parliament, the government, the Competition Council, and even the Expediency Council.' Based on these statements, 'Tabnak' wrote that what Izadkhah is saying specifically points to Mustafa Mir-Salim, who happens to oppose car imports in favor of domestic automakers. One of Mir-Salim's controversies in defending domestic automakers and opposing imports dates back to a televised debate on May 21 of this year, where in response to a question from Jalal Rashidi Kouchi, a representative from Marvdasht, regarding the choice between a 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser and a Peugeot 206 priced at one billion tomans concerning their quality and safety, Mir-Salim stated that these cars 'do not differ.' The gasoline crisis will continue; a forecast of $3 billion in gasoline imports. The burdens of a command economy; media reports: automakers are exporting 'bitumen and dried fruits' instead of cars! The Islamic Republic's efforts to produce a 'national mobile' remind us of the production of a 'national car.' The bill for importing second-hand cars was approved 'to control prices.' A member of Parliament: We sell a 300 million toman Chinese car for 3 billion. Manipulating import tariffs in favor of automakers; a member of Parliament states that car imports have 'rent.'