The Interrogation Session of the Minister of Economic Affairs Will Be Held on March 3rd

The Deputy Speaker of the Islamic Consultative Assembly announced today that the interrogation session of Abdolnaser Hemmati, the Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, will be held on Sunday, March 3rd, in the open session of the parliament. According to reports, Ahmad Nadri, a member of the parliament's presiding board, read the items received from the presiding board during the open session on Wednesday, which included the motion for the interrogation of the Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance. Hamidreza Hajibabaei, the Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, who chaired the session, explained this matter by stating: "According to the internal regulations, the minister has 10 days to determine the date of his presence in parliament. In this regard, this morning, coordination was made with the minister, and it was decided that he would attend the parliament on the tenth day of his opportunity, which is Sunday, March 3rd." He also added that next week, the parliament will review the budget, and two weeks later, the minister's interrogation will be on the agenda. This interrogation comes at a time when the country's economic conditions and the performance of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance have faced widespread criticism in recent months. The Iranian economy has faced multiple challenges in recent months. The annual inflation rate reached 32.5% in Azar 1403, showing a decrease of 0.6 percentage points compared to the previous month. Additionally, the point-to-point inflation in Dey 1403 increased to 31.8%, meaning that households in the country spent, on average, 31.8% more than in Dey of the previous year to purchase a "set of identical goods and services." Despite the relative decrease in the annual inflation rate, some economic experts have expressed concern about the persistence of high inflation rates and their impact on people's livelihoods. Predictions indicate that the annual inflation rate at the end of 1403 will be, at best, 31.4% and, at worst, 32.1%. Criticism of the government's economic performance and the Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance in managing macroeconomic indicators, including controlling inflation and improving people's livelihoods, has been cited as the main reasons for the motion to interrogate Abdolnaser Hemmati. In this context, some members of parliament have criticized Abdolnaser Hemmati's performance in managing the country's economy. They point to issues such as currency fluctuations, rising prices, and people's livelihood problems. Conversely, some representatives believe that interrogating the Minister of Economy under the current circumstances is not in the country's best interest and may have negative consequences for the economy. Hamidreza Goudarzi, a member of parliament, stated: "Under the current circumstances, interrogation is not in the country's best interest. We are passing political issues among ourselves while the people are being crushed underfoot." Abdolnaser Hemmati has emphasized the necessity of resolving the economic imbalances in the country since taking office as Minister of Economy and, in response to criticisms, referred to the relative stability of the semi-official exchange rate in the past year. He also noted that despite the stability of the semi-official exchange rate, inflation above 40% was experienced last year. As the time for the interrogation session approaches, it remains to be seen what decision the parliament representatives will make regarding the continuation of the Minister of Economy's work and what impact this decision will have on the country's economic situation.