Arab Press: Iran's Economic Situation and Its Consequences

The economic situation in Iran and the statements of officials of the Islamic Republic have received relatively wide coverage in the Arab press. The Lebanese-Saudi newspaper Al-Hayat writes: The Iranian government has warned its citizens to refrain from purchasing non-essential goods in light of the current economic situation. This newspaper, while publishing statements from Mahmoud Vaezi, the head of Hassan Rouhani's office, notes that Iranian media have reported the discovery of warehouses where essential goods such as oil and hygiene products were hoarded. Al-Hayat adds that following the return of sanctions ordered by Donald Trump, the President of the United States, after the U.S. withdrawal from the nuclear agreement with Iran, the Iranian rial has begun to plummet, while Trump has stated that sanctions to be implemented from November will also include the purchase of Iranian oil. Al-Hayat writes that Ali Khamenei, the leader of the Islamic Republic, told members of the Assembly of Experts that Iran is facing a complete economic and propaganda war, claiming that the goal of the U.S. and Israel is to demoralize the people regarding the regime. The Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat also reports on Khamenei's recent remarks, stating that he has faced increasing criticism for the Revolutionary Guard's parallel economic activities, especially concerning oil. According to Asharq Al-Awsat, in response to these criticisms, he recently stated that any parallel actions by institutions must be conducted within the framework of the law. Further away from Saudi Arabia, the Lebanese newspaper An-Nahar also reports that following the return of sanctions, the Iranian rial has lost 70% of its value. An-Nahar adds that Khamenei, in his remarks to the Assembly of Experts, called for support from the people and government institutions for Rouhani's administration. The Kuwaiti newspaper Al-Anba addresses the crisis between Iran and the U.S. from a different angle, stating that the consequences of this crisis have extended to Iraq as well. Al-Anba adds that during his time, Iran sought to push the U.S. out of Iraq with its influence, but currently, the situation in Iraq has changed in favor of the U.S. This Kuwaiti newspaper writes that Iran's poor economic situation has not been without impact on the shifting power dynamics in Iraq. Al-Anba notes that the U.S. looks optimistically at the cooperation of Haider al-Abadi and Muqtada al-Sadr, while Iran benefits from the closeness and alliance of Nouri al-Maliki and Hadi al-Amiri. According to Al-Anba, in Iraq, as in Lebanon, a not-so-open war is ongoing between Iran and the U.S. The newspaper adds that in such circumstances, sources in Iraq have confirmed that Iran has sent missiles to Iraq's Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), and at the same time, Haider al-Abadi has criticized the PMF heavily, dismissing its commander, Falih al-Fayyadh, while retaining his position as Prime Minister and assuming command of the PMF himself.