Economic Collapse, Impeachment of Hemmati, and Khamenei's 'Stability' in the Roundtable 'Paragraph One'

Representatives of the principlist faction in the twelfth parliament have focused for the second time on the impeachment of Abdolnaser Hemmati, the Minister of Economy in Masoud Pezeshkian's government, aiming to politically 'sacrifice' him, according to Qasim Othmani, the second deputy chairman of the Legal and Judicial Commission of the Islamic Consultative Assembly. Supporters of the impeachment view Hemmati as responsible for the 90,000-toman dollar, the rising prices of rice and potatoes, and many essential goods. Hemmati, who was once a leading critic of the so-called 'economic surgery' policy of the Minister of Economy under Ebrahim Raisi's government, is now caught in the impeachment trap set by representatives primarily from the 'Front of Stability of the Islamic Revolution' and supporters of the thirteenth government. In the program 'Paragraph One,' we discussed the impeachment of the Minister of Economy after six months and the economic conditions of the Islamic Republic with Farshad Qorbani Pour, a political journalist in Tehran, and Babak Darbiki, the former editor-in-chief of Aftab News and former deputy director of public relations at the Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture in London. Farshad Qorbani Pour, at the beginning of this discussion, referring to Masoud Pezeshkian's comments during the early presidential elections, states that the events of the past two months, marked by the rising prices of the dollar and gold, require a necessary victim. However, this journalist does not see Hemmati as the only victim of the chaotic currency and capital market, believing he is a victim of the political reckoning of the rival faction of Pezeshkian's government. On the other hand, Farshad Qorbani Pour does not view the impeachment of the Minister of Economy as 'unreasonable,' asserting that Hemmati, as Minister of Economy, has had 'extensive powers in the economic domain, the Central Bank, and the selection of CEOs of the country's banks' and that his impeachment is 'an impeachment of someone who does not deserve this position.' Hamidreza Goudarzi, a representative of the Islamic Consultative Assembly who opposed the impeachment of the Minister of Economy, stated in a radio program that he has become hesitant and his vote on this impeachment is abstaining. He mentioned that the heads of the three branches have secretly decided that the dollar situation should be this way. According to Goudarzi, parliament members have leaked the audio of the secret session. The former security and political deputy of Tehran's governor stated that he himself has committed an offense by mentioning this issue. Goudarzi, considering this impeachment to be political, said: 'Because Mr. Hemmati has made comments regarding the government of the martyr Raisi, he must be dealt with here; this is how people perceive it.' Babak Darbiki, another guest of 'Paragraph One,' confirmed the statements of this parliament member, saying that the questions posed to the Minister of Economy in Pezeshkian's government are the same as those asked of the Minister of Economy in Ebrahim Raisi's government; therefore, the representatives have not criticized Hemmati's specific policies. Darbiki, bringing up the issue of the 'apparent powers of the government,' stated that the Minister of Economy must make decisions regarding an economy where 60% of its national wealth is in the hands of several governmental institutions that neither pay taxes nor are accountable to anyone except the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic. He noted that this is aside from the decisions made by the 'governance' that lead to 'sanctions, changes in the political, regional, and international atmosphere.' He emphasized that Abdolnaser Hemmati, as Minister of Economy, is engaged in 'unplanned games' whose results can be seen, stating that the Minister of Economy, aside from these issues, is facing the bankruptcy of economic support funds and a private sector that is 'largely' not private. This political expert referred to Pezeshkian's government as a 'project-oriented' government that has not formed in a competitive environment with specific monetary, banking, and currency policies. Darbiki, referring to Goudarzi's statements and implicitly responding to Farshad Qorbani Pour's comments, stated that in such conditions, no matter how many powers the Minister of Economy has, he can practically do nothing against the powers of the governance. In a worrying outlook for Iran's economy, Goudarzi, one of the designers of Hemmati's impeachment, denied the suspicion of the 'political nature' of this action in an interview with the Voice of the Islamic Republic, stating that representatives have not given Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf, the Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, the authority to decide 'this way' on their behalf. Farshad Qorbani Pour remarked: 'If I were in Mr. Hajideligani's place, I would not say the impeachment program is political.' According to the manager of the authorized bookshop Sorena Book, Iran's economy has come closer to 'collapse' in the past six months, and this requires a victim. Babak Darbiki believes that the statements of the designer of Hemmati's impeachment reinforce the idea of the 'political nature' of this action. This political expert stated: 'Mr. Hajideligani speaks as if the Speaker of the Parliament, independent of the Parliament, can work with extralegal powers.' Darbiki believes that meetings of the heads of the three branches and other such meetings give Qalibaf, who should be the spokesperson for the Parliament, such power that part of the Parliament does not want, and this itself is a political matter. This analyst stated that the similarity of Hemmati's impeachment with Ehsan Khandoozi is evidence that the issue of Iran's economy goes beyond the Central Bank, the Minister of Economy, or any other minister, and even the President. Farshad Qorbani Pour stated that during the early presidential elections, there was a perception in society that Masoud Pezeshkian had come with a moderate cabinet based on a program to 'unlock the negotiations, the JCPOA, and sanctions with the permission of the Leader.' This political journalist stated that Pezeshkian had made initial agreements and had made some efforts in certain areas, but multiple power centers with unlimited powers prevented him. He seeks the outcome of 'the obstruction of power centers for the relatively reformist performance of Pezeshkian's government' in the statements of Ayatollah Khamenei, stating that Khamenei had initially said in Bahman 1403 that he agreed with 'a good agreement that includes the dignity, respect, and progress of the Iranian nation,' but shortly after, when everyone was talking about negotiations, he changed his words and said that negotiations with America are 'not wise, rational, or honorable.' Hamidreza Goudarzi, a representative of the Islamic Consultative Assembly, stated in a radio program that the economic situation of the people is getting worse as time goes on. This parliament member described the clothing and food market before the New Year as 'lamentable,' stating that people are angry with the representatives and the government. Babak Darbiki considers the Islamic Republic's government a type of 'feudal' government revolving around the 'Guardianship of the Jurist.' According to this political expert, there is no government in the Islamic Republic that decides to solve issues. He points to the role of material and financial resources, stating: 'When these resources decrease, power institutions fight each other for more shares and start competing, and at this point, the people's issue is no longer relevant.' Darbiki believes that, except for the presidency of Mohammad Khatami and to some extent Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, the issue of Iran has not been a concern for the government. The former head of social and cultural affairs at the Strategic Research Center of the Expediency Discernment Council stated that when the JCPOA had not yet been signed, he had a government responsibility and thus visited one of the newspapers. He stated that the young editor-in-chief of that newspaper, whose name he refrained from mentioning, was praying that the negotiations would not succeed. Darbiki, who had failed to find the necessary medicine in the market that day, asked in surprise why, and upon receiving the answer that this editor-in-chief was making money through drug smuggling and was worried about losing '40% of his income' if sanctions were lifted, he was astonished. The former expert at the Social and Cultural Deputy of the Strategic Research Center of the Expediency Discernment Council stated: 'You are dealing with a collection that has seized many startups, from Digikala to Sarava; not for the benefit of an institution or organization, but has personalized it.' According to this former official in Hassan Rouhani's government, in one of the meetings of the Expediency Discernment Council, one government figure, reacting to his comments about the necessity of strengthening the private sector, became agitated and said: 'Mr. Khamenei believes that the Islamic Republic must first train its own merchants and then entrust privatization to these merchants.' Farshad Qorbani Pour believes that Iranians have gone through several cycles of despair and hope in the Islamic Republic, which has allowed the governmental system to remain intact. He states that the government has eliminated existing alternatives, and we do not see any decisive alternative that is acceptable to all. Qorbani Pour believes that the governmental system does not continue easily, and the time gap between the movements of opposing and reform-seeking currents has shortened. Society is very restless, and a spark could bring people to the streets. Mehdi Sadeghi Shahidani, a professor of economics at Imam Sadegh University, has proposed a solution for the currency crisis, stating: 'If the Central Bank, the Trade Development Organization, the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Chambers of Commerce work well together, the currency market will not have its unbalanced conditions in the future.' Farshad Qorbani Pour states: 'If these ministries do their jobs, there will be no room left for sanctions, petty corruption, and favoritism.' According to Qorbani Pour, the words of this Imam Sadegh University professor are political statements that have more of a propagandistic nature. He further notes that Hojjatollah Abdolmaleki, the Minister of Cooperatives in Ebrahim Raisi's government, who came from Imam Sadegh University with the slogan 'Creating jobs with one million tomans,' was forced to resign after protests against his performance escalated; this same radical group has prevented the relatively reformist governments from working. Babak Darbiki also believes that the Islamic Republic has reached a point where it cannot solve its problems within its governmental system. According to this political expert, the Islamic Republic has built its policy on postponing issues rather than solving them through institutions like the Expediency Discernment Council or the Council for Resolving Conflicts of the Heads. The former deputy of information and social communications at the Secretariat of the Government-Private Sector Dialogue Council states that the governmental system has reached a state of collapse, and political and social changes are moving from a phase of reform-seeking and transformation to collapse. He emphasizes the dangers of collapse for a country, stating that today, whether the Islamic Republic goes or stays, there is no quick solution for the issues. Farshad Qorbani Pour, a political journalist in Tehran, also believes that six months after the activity of Masoud Pezeshkian's government, the fourteenth government presents an image of a failed, unsuccessful, and temporary government.