Iranian Police Announce Summoning of 850 Individuals in Connection with 'Gold and Currency Market Violations'

The head of Tehran police announced that '850 individuals' have been summoned to the police regarding violations related to the gold and currency market, and investigations are ongoing. According to Hossein Rahimi, all individuals who have had cases opened against them in this regard have been 'summoned to judicial authorities,' and the police are handling these cases alongside the judiciary. He stated that 'a large number of these individuals have gone to prison, and some others are at the stage of verdict issuance in the prosecutor's office.' Officials of the Islamic Republic have attributed the fluctuations in the gold and currency market in Iran and the fall of the rial's value to both 'enemies' and internal factors, with recent emphasis on the latter's role in the market turmoil. The Supreme Leader and his close associates attribute the country's economic problems not to U.S. sanctions but to the 'weak' performance of the government and what they describe as 'exploitation by profiteers.' Ayatollah Ali Khamenei recently agreed to the proposal of Sadegh Larijani, the head of the judiciary, to establish a special court with three judges from the Revolutionary Court to handle cases of 'economic corruptors,' stating that the verdicts of this court, except for execution, are 'final and enforceable.' Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the judiciary spokesperson, also reported the arrest of '67 violators' and the travel ban imposed on a hundred violators, stating that indictments have been issued for 25 cases among them. Earlier, the Tasnim news agency reported the arrest of 'several smugglers and economic disruptors' according to the deputy commander of the Iranian police. Iskandar Momeni stated that 'the crackdown on major smugglers was on the agenda, and several smugglers, gangs, and individuals disrupting the economic system were arrested, and those who played a significant role in this disruption were handed over to the judiciary.' Abbas Jafari Dowlatabadi, the Tehran prosecutor, also referred to the arrest of 65 individuals related to currency cases, mobile phone imports, and cars, warning importing companies that if they sell their goods at free market prices despite receiving the government-subsidized currency of 4200 tomans, they would face prison sentences of five to twenty years or even execution. His remarks were made following reports from Iran indicating that some companies importing essential goods have either diverted their government-subsidized currency or sold their goods at free market prices.