Dollar Patrol

"Dollar Patrol" is the front-page headline of Thursday's Etemad newspaper, describing the widespread arrests of "currency brokers and the closure of exchange offices" in Tehran, with the "presence of law enforcement in exchange offices" being part of the "government's measures to control the currency market." The newspaper writes: "On Wednesday, the price of the dollar in the Tehran market dropped by 100 tomans, but instead of happiness, this news increased doubts; the price drop was not due to economic rules but was implemented through the presence of law enforcement and awareness in Sabzeh Meydan and Ferdowsi Square. The arrest of about 90 people, the closure of 10 exchange offices, and warnings issued to 16 other exchange offices were the results of military presence in a market that has frustrated the government, leading to the possibility of a repeat of events that occurred in the mid-1990s and early 2000s." Etemad raises the question: "Will ignoring the motivations of economic actors and policing the market solve the problems arising from decades of incorrect policymaking?" It states: "Perhaps if the government and the Central Bank understood the mechanisms governing the currency market, they would not have resorted to policing it." Zahra Karimi, in the editorial titled "Special Situation in the Currency Market," writes: "By arresting and confronting individuals who seem to be keeping the currency market hot in the country, the problems of this market will not be resolved in the long term; rather, it will only temporarily reduce some of the tensions. The problem in the currency market is not just that the price of currency keeps rising; the significant issue is that people believe the government cannot manage the market, and the consequences of this belief will create an unsuitable economic environment in the long term." The editorial writer notes the history of police interventions in the currency market, stating: "Fluctuations in the currency market are not a new occurrence in Iran; in the mid-1990s, this market also faced various upheavals, and at that time, policymakers took action by arresting market speculators, leading to the closure of many exchange offices. At that time, this action was temporary and could not completely calm the currency market; stability returned when the dual currency rate was recognized, and the parallel currency market continued its operations. Today, it remains true that policing the market will not calm it down." The Ta'adol newspaper reported that the number of those arrested in the Tehran currency market is 200, stating: "From Istanbul Square to Ferdowsi Square, on Wednesday morning, there was a significant presence of law enforcement officers and the arrest of currency brokers," and that officers "have arrested about 200 currency brokers in Tehran markets, including Istanbul Street." This newspaper notes that "currency traders say the volume of transactions in the market is very low, and even at certain hours, no transactions were taking place," and that "some traders reported a wave of inspections of exchange offices from the evening of Tuesday," adding that "755 accounts of currency brokers were blocked and frozen, with a total financial turnover of these accounts nearing 20 trillion tomans." The Ta'adol newspaper discusses the "chaotic reality of the currency market," stating that some critics of the government believe that the rise in currency prices is one of the government's actions to compensate for the budget deficit this year, as "the calculated exchange rate in the 2017 budget was 3,300 tomans, but now the exchange rate is 3,800 tomans, meaning at least 10 trillion tomans from the difference in exchange rates will benefit the government by the end of the year, which will partially compensate for the budget deficit." The newspaper also notes that "another reason some refer to is the implementation of the value-added tax law since the beginning of 2018 in Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, which has made obtaining currency for Iranian exchange offices costly," while "others believe that the government's currency suppression policy and attempts to keep the exchange rate low have caused its price to soar like a released spring." The newspapers Kayhan and Javan welcomed the entry of law enforcement into the currency market. The Javan newspaper, close to the Revolutionary Guards, reported on its front page that "the dollar retreated by 70 tomans with the entry of Seif and the police," stating: "Following the police and Seif's attack on the currency market, some rates in this market were adjusted; however, 90 members of parliament criticized the government's management of the currency market." According to this newspaper, "the government claims that the rise in currency prices has no economic justification, and the Tax Administration and the Central Bank are monitoring all currency transactions and will tax currency transactions aimed at speculation and brokering, but the issue is that with the rise in currency prices to the threshold of 4,900 tomans, the import of primary, capital, and essential goods has become volatile, and inflation is affecting the people of society." Kayhan reported on its front page that the dollar price has risen to 5,000 tomans, describing it as "the revenge of economic terrorists against the people" and emphasizing that "security and judicial centers should intervene." This newspaper, which is published under the supervision of Ali Khamenei's representative, even stated: "We are in an endless battle with the enemy, and now in the currency war, they are taking revenge on the people. Economic terrorists are doing everything they can to disrupt the lives of the people," and "the fact that a network has infiltrated the key and important arteries of the country and can reduce the value of the national currency to this extent in a mysterious and calculated process is not trivial and should not be overlooked." The Etemad newspaper, in its editorial titled "Unnecessary Intervention," wrote: "Despite all the comments and interviews of officials and the government's economic team, including the head of the Central Bank, who stated that the currency price will decrease, we still witness its increase until finally, it led to security intervention and arrests and the closure of exchange offices and the arrest of brokers to perhaps stop this trend." This newspaper wrote: "The strange point, however, is that the economic officials of the country completely deny the economic roots of this crisis and have explicitly stated that this fluctuation has no economic roots and is entirely related to non-economic factors." The Shahrvand newspaper reported on Hassan Rouhani's order regarding the recent arrests, stating: "Shahidokht Molaverdi, the special assistant to the President for citizen rights, announced yesterday that the President has ordered a comprehensive report to be prepared regarding the events that occurred in some detention centers." This newspaper simultaneously wrote that while Abbas Jafari Dolatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, previously stated that the cameras installed by the Persian Wildlife Institute "appear to be for monitoring environmental issues" and "are actually a cover for monitoring the country's missile activities," Isa Kalantari, the head of the Department of Environment, announced on Wednesday that "these cameras are for monitoring cheetahs and their vision is more than 50 meters, with a maximum range of these cameras being 50 meters." According to the Shahrvand newspaper, "the issue of the death of Kavous Seyed-Emami, a member of the faculty of the Imam Sadiq University, a communications professor, and the director of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Institute, who, according to his son, was arrested on February 4 and on February 19, the news of his 'suicide' in prison was conveyed to his family, remains a topic of discussion in the media and academic circles, and the issue of the unlikelihood of this event by the close ones and acquaintances of this university professor is raised alongside the suicides of several detainees from the December unrest." This newspaper also reported that Mohammad Reza Tabesh, the head of the Environment faction in the 10th Parliament, stated that on Tuesday, he met with a group of families of environmental prisoners and employees of the Persian Wildlife Heritage Institute, and they "emphasized that all their activities were purely environmental and that all their actions inside and outside the country were coordinated with the relevant authorities, and they had the necessary permits for all their actions and activities. These employees spoke of Seyed-Emami's interest in environmental issues and his contributions and stated that individuals related to this institute abroad and inside the country, who had split from this institute, had created an atmosphere of hostility and rumors that led to the involvement of intelligence agencies in this matter." Mohammad Reza Tabesh emphasized that during a session where a film about the situation of Kavous Seyed-Emami in detention was shown, "experts stated that since Seyed-Emami hanged himself in the restroom, there is no footage of this act." The Shahrvand newspaper quoted this member of the 10th Parliament as saying: "In any case, the responsibility for the lives of prisoners lies with the prison organization," and during a session of the Environment faction with representatives of the judiciary, the Ministry of Intelligence, and the IRGC Intelligence Organization, it was also stated that the IRGC, as a judicial agent with the prosecutor's order, entered the case, while according to the subject of the accusation, the Ministry of Intelligence should have entered the case. In this session, the Deputy of the Judiciary stated that all detention centers, including the one where the late Seyed-Emami died, are under the supervision of the prison organization; therefore, the prison organization must accept responsibility for the incident and be accountable for it. The Jahan San'at newspaper reported on its front page with the title "Dominance of the Owj Institute," stating that the director of this institute, who participated in this year's film festival with three films, including the latest film by Ebrahim Hatamikia, is Ehsan Mohammad Hosseini, who simultaneously holds the position of CEO of the Foundation for the Opening Narrative and the Artists' Basij. According to this newspaper, "In the six years since the establishment of the Owj Artistic Media Organization, 80 institutions have been active as subsidiaries of the Owj Artistic Media Organization inside and outside the country. More than 2,600 artists have produced works during this time, and 700 documentaries are produced each year by the House of Documentary Designers," but still, "neither the founders of this institute are known nor the budget injected into the institute." The Jahan San'at newspaper pointed out that in 2015, this institute participated in the 34th festival with the films "The Sacred List," "Bodyguard," and "Standing in the Fog," and in 2016 with the film "The Half-Day Story," and this year with "At the Time of Dawn" by Ebrahim Hatamikia, "Tangeh Aboughrib" directed by Bahram Tavakoli, and "Misunderstanding" directed by Mohammad Reza Mo'tamedi," stating: "With the increasing costs of film production and pre-production, a rough calculation indicates that the cost of the three films that Owj presented at the festival this year is around 20 billion tomans." The Shargh newspaper, while publishing a report on reactions to Hassan Rouhani's proposal in his speech on February 11 for a referendum, wrote that Abbas Ali Kadkhodaei, spokesperson for the Guardian Council, criticized Rouhani, stating that "his idea of a referendum was not well-studied." According to this newspaper, Ahmad Khatami, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran and a member of the Assembly of Experts, also stated: "I hope the President corrects his remarks and disappoints the enemies; because it is clear that these remarks are not in the path of unity. I tell the anti-Islamic, anti-Iranian state media and the exiled anti-revolutionaries who are pleased with some remarks that they will never achieve their wish for a referendum and a public vote." Shargh simultaneously quoted Saeed Hajarian as saying that holding a referendum, according to Article 59 of the Constitution, "has many twists and turns; first, the Leader or two-thirds of the representatives must approve the subject of the referendum; secondly, the Guardian Council, because it considers it a bill of the parliament, claims the right to express an opinion. Surely, in the mind of Mr. Rouhani, there is an issue beyond the factional disputes that he has brought up Article 59." This newspaper quoted Saeed Hajarian as saying: "I suspect that the mentioned article, if the power structures decide, is only used for changing the presidential system to a parliamentary one or transforming the Islamic Republic into an Islamic government - as one of the conservative parties intended. In any case, I believe that using the referendum tool in the current conditions, given past experiences, is dangerous; because it will exacerbate existing contradictions in the Constitution and take us several steps away from democracy." Abdolsamad Khormashahi, a lawyer and legal expert, in the editorial of the Arman newspaper titled "The Taboo of Referendum," wrote: "Some of the unchangeable principles in the Constitution, including the Islamic and republican nature of the system, are excluded from the referendum mentioned by Hassan Rouhani, but "decision-making on some of the mentioned issues and also matters such as the establishment of private radio and television, increasing or not increasing fuel prices, or the method of distributing subsidies, if put to a referendum, can be addressed." The Farhikhtegan newspaper published an interview with a street vendor who self-immolated in front of the Champs-Élysées shopping center on Republic Street in Tehran in March 2016, and after suffering 37% burns and being in a coma for a long time, has now returned to life. This vendor, who introduced himself as "Amir Ahmadi, a graduate in accounting from Kermanshah," said: "If I had the right to choose, I would definitely not have done this. I have a university degree and I resorted to this act due to unemployment and misery. I didn't earn much either. I sold scarves. I made two or three thousand tomans from each scarf, and at most, I sold 10 scarves a day." Amir Ahmadi told Farhikhtegan that "on March 6, 2016," he prepared himself for self-immolation if the municipal officers insulted him again and "decided that when they come to insult and humiliate me, I would pour gasoline on myself or my goods and threaten that if they do not stop insulting me, I would burn myself and my goods. I thought I was doing the right thing, and he would leave me alone. I didn't want to do anything, but I thought that with this threat, they would leave us alone. That officer, knowing that I had gasoline, started provoking and humiliating me, and no matter how much I said I would burn myself, he threatened that if I didn't, I would be punished."