Head of Rouhani's Office: People Should Buy According to Their Needs

The head of the Iranian President's office has urged people to buy according to their needs, referring to the 'very difficult' economic conditions. Mahmoud Vaezi stated on Wednesday, September 4, during a meeting with journalists, that 'the pressure on people has increased' due to current economic conditions and rising prices, saying, 'We also ask people to buy their necessities according to their needs.' Speaking after a cabinet meeting, he added, 'On the other hand, we ask all traders and merchants to be more fair in pricing.' Since the United States withdrew from the nuclear agreement and reimposed sanctions on the Islamic Republic, the economic situation in Iran has severely deteriorated, with prices rising sharply and some goods becoming scarce. Various reports have emerged regarding hoarding of goods in Iran, from cars to medicines, diapers, and food items. In this context, Mehr News Agency reported on Wednesday the discovery of six hoarding warehouses in Sistan and Baluchestan, as well as the hoarding of over 2,500 cartons of baby diapers in Qom. The day before, the agency had reported the discovery of two warehouses hoarding sanitary items in Tabriz and 15 tons of hoarded vegetable oil in the city of Fariman, Razavi Khorasan province. Mahmoud Vaezi warned on Wednesday that violators would be dealt with and stated, 'It is the duty of the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade and the duty of the government’s inspection organization to deal with offenders. However, we do not intend to solve the issues of inflation solely through arrests.' He emphasized, 'We expect that both the people and the merchants will respect each other so that we can overcome these very difficult conditions together.' On the same day, Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, head of the Planning and Budget Organization, announced the allocation of 30 trillion tomans for implementing programs and packages to navigate the current economic conditions, stating, 'The government has prepared five packages and 12 programs to overcome the country's economic situation.' According to Nobakht, 7.5 trillion tomans of this amount will be allocated for the import and supply of five essential goods. He did not provide further details on this matter. Meanwhile, in August of this year, the government announced that based on the government's and the Central Bank's currency policy package, the import of 25 essential goods, including red meat, chicken, eggs, cooking oil, and medicine, would be conducted at a government rate of 4,200 tomans, and the prices of these items would remain stable until the next Iranian year in Farvardin.