Ambiguity Surrounds the Fate of 'Establishing a Ministry of Commerce'; Minister of 'Industry, Mine and Trade' Opposes, Government Supports

With the change of the Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade, the bill for establishing a Ministry of Commerce has also become uncertain. Despite repeated emphasis from government officials, 'Donya-e-Eqtesad' reports that due to the 'serious opposition' of the Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade to the establishment of the Ministry of Commerce, the government will soon withdraw this bill. According to this newspaper, the Minister of Industry has stated in the Industries Commission and to representatives that he has requested the cancellation of the establishment of the Ministry of Commerce in two letters to the President. The urgency of establishing the Ministry of Commerce was approved in the parliament on May 1, and after its approval in the relevant commission, it was referred to the public session, but this bill has not yet been placed on the agenda of the parliament. This news from 'Donya-e-Eqtesad' comes as Seyyed Mohammad Hosseini, the parliamentary deputy of the President, emphasized yesterday that 'the government has no doubt about the necessity of establishing the Ministry of Commerce.' This government official rejected the notion that the establishment of the Ministry of Commerce has been canceled in the parliament, stating: 'In the government and parliament, some have criticisms regarding this issue, and the reasons presented by opponents are mainly due to the preservation of the integrated production and distribution chain. It is natural that each minister presents their expert opinions, but after discussion and consultation, all members support the decision.' Despite the approval of the 'urgency' of this proposal, the Research Center of the Parliament also recently opposed the establishment of the Ministry of Commerce in a report. It should be noted that the thirteenth government has submitted a bill consisting of a single article and six notes titled 'Bill for the Establishment of the Ministry of Commerce' to the Islamic Consultative Assembly, which was approved on May 1. Previously, the government of Ebrahim Raisi attempted to establish a 'Commerce Organization' under the presidency instead of a ministry, which was halted due to opposition from the parliament at the outset. The general principle of separating commerce from industry was approved; 'Commerce' is on the verge of returning to the realm of ministries. Media speculation in Iran; the establishment of the Ministry of Commerce has been sidelined. A former official of the Ministry of Commerce of Iran told Voice of America: the return of this ministry means the distribution of currency rent. Basic goods are on the road to inflation; some items in the livelihood basket have become expensive again.