Setting a 'Floor' for the IRGC's Entry into Economic Projects

The newspaper Shargh has evaluated the meeting of IRGC commanders with Hassan Rouhani, stating: "The meeting and the discussions held during it are seen by political observers as the end of some misunderstandings of recent weeks and are considered a harbinger of increased cooperation between the government and the IRGC." According to this newspaper, Gholamreza Tajgardoon, a representative of the tenth parliament, also announced the determination of a 'floor' for the IRGC's entry into economic projects, stating: 'In the agreement with the Khatam Headquarters, from now on, the Khatam Headquarters will enter areas where the private sector cannot participate, and will no longer enter every project; they have essentially adjusted their level with their activities. For example, they will no longer engage in contracts worth 50, 100, or 200 billion tomans in cases where domestic contractors are capable.' The newspaper Etemad reported on its front page on Tuesday with the title 'IRGC Commanders in Pasteur,' stating that 'high-ranking IRGC commanders met with Hassan Rouhani,' and noted that Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, Aziz Jafari, commander of the IRGC, Gholamhossein Ghaibparvar, commander of the Basij, Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the IRGC Aerospace Force, and Mohammad Ismail Kowsari, deputy commander of the Tharallah Headquarters in Tehran, were present at this meeting. This meeting took place at a time when many believed the relationship between the two was significantly deteriorating, with the JCPOA and the issue of 'removing the shadow of war from the country' being among the main topics that had repeatedly turned into a contentious issue due to some IRGC commanders denying the government's successes, each of which could make headlines for days. Etemad wrote that this situation between the government and the IRGC had continued with fluctuations over the years until the IRGC's missile attack on ISIS positions in Deir ez-Zor, Syria, added new dimensions to it. Even during Ramadan, during iftar gatherings, Hassan Rouhani criticized the IRGC, this time for its economic activities, implicitly referring to this force as a 'government with guns.' The newspaper Javan, close to the IRGC, also reported the meeting of senior commanders of this force with Hassan Rouhani on its front page, stating: 'The President's meeting with senior IRGC commanders was a top news item on Tuesday, and although the presidential website only published a brief and general news about this meeting, some state media like ISNA extracted the title of Rouhani's full support for the IRGC's services from this short news, while others reported the 'congratulations of IRGC commanders to Rouhani for his electoral victory.' This newspaper also noted that some news indicated that after some individuals and domestic and foreign opposition media attempted to ride the wave of certain phrases and comments, such a meeting became a national and strategic necessity for the system to speak about the main pillars of preserving the revolution in support of each other, as the President emphasized support for the IRGC's services and the IRGC commander also stressed that the IRGC is ready for comprehensive cooperation with the government to achieve the goals of the revolution. The newspaper Hamdeli described the government's approval to convert 'rial' to 'toman' as 'a cosmetic operation on the national currency' and wrote: 'In the last meeting of the cabinet, a bill to amend the banking monetary law was approved, according to which Iran's currency will change from 'rial' to 'toman' and will be determined based on 10 rials. Although the proposal to change Iran's currency unit is not new and the idea was formed in last year's cabinet meeting, it has not yet been operationalized and must first be approved by the parliament to begin the implementation process.' According to this newspaper, 'Central Bank officials say that changing the national currency to toman will not lead to economic effects such as inflation or impact other macroeconomic indicators, and will only facilitate transactions and return to the customary space of society, as people currently conduct all their financial matters in toman except for banking issues.' Hamdeli noted that 'another aspect of the change in the national currency unit is the changes made for printing new banknotes, which will have one less zero than current banknotes,' and wrote: 'As previously announced by the Central Bank, if the law is implemented, minor adjustments will be made in the printing of banknotes and will gradually enter the monetary cycle, so it is not intended that all existing banknotes will be suddenly removed with the conversion from rial to toman.' This newspaper reminded that 'among the most important currency units in Iran's history are dinar, shahi, qaran, rial, and toman,' each of which was prevalent during one of the royal dynasties. The newspaper Jahan San'at reported on the likelihood of Eshaq Jahangiri remaining as the 'First Vice President' in the twelfth government, stating: 'Consultations for the twelfth cabinet are still ongoing. Rouhani is looking for a suitable arrangement to fulfill his electoral promises in the twelfth government. In this regard, in addition to systematic reviews for selecting suitable ministers, the positions of first vice president, government spokesperson, and head of the president's office are also among the positions that speculations have arisen about.' This newspaper mentioned Mohammad Baqer Nobakht as a candidate for 'Head of the President's Office' and assessed it as a sign of his increasing role in the government. Jahan San'at also reported that Mohammad Nahavandian, the current head of the president's office, is likely to replace Ali Tayebnia in the Ministry of Economy. The newspaper Bahar also reported with the title 'Female Minister; Necessity or Expectation,' stating: 'Pressures on Rouhani to select a female minister in the cabinet have increased.' However, this newspaper emphasized that 'the discussion about the presence of women in the twelfth cabinet, not in the position of deputy, as Rouhani had three female deputies in the eleventh cabinet, but this time as ministers, has escalated. Although this issue has recently been shrouded in ambiguity based on some statements and speculations, some say that Rouhani will employ women in the new cabinet in the capacity of deputies, not ministers.' The newspaper Qanoon, while referring to 'employment and unemployment' in Iran, wrote: 'Recent studies show that the number of employed Iranians has exceeded 22 million and six hundred thousand in the year 1395,' and overall '29 percent of Iran's 80 million population were employed last year.' The newspaper Vaghaye Ettefaghieh focused on 'the reactions of supporters and opponents to the government distribution of narcotics' and wrote: 'Opium will not be legalized.' This newspaper quoted Ali Hashemi, head of the Independent Committee for Combating Narcotics of the Expediency Discernment Council, stating: 'If research, industrial, or therapeutic activities are conducted, narcotics can be possessed,' but 'opponents of this plan believe that narcotics will be legalized, while this plan is the same story of the poppy cultivation approved in 83, which I pursued when I was the Secretary-General of the Anti-Narcotics Headquarters and approved poppy cultivation in the country.' Ali Hashemi also stated: 'We approved poppy cultivation in the country to produce the raw material for opium and morphine through this cultivation and to produce extensive, diverse, and affordable medicines, including opium syrup, in the country. We do not want to give opium to anyone. Opium will not be legalized; rather, we want to provide addicts with medications that will both treat them and create a high for them.' The newspaper Shargh also quoted a former parliament member as saying: 'Due to unfinished national and provincial projects, limitations will inevitably be imposed on the headquarters in carrying out projects.'