Vaezi: Hassan Rouhani has ordered the rapid emptying of warehouses to control inflation

The head of the office of the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran announced Hassan Rouhani's order for the rapid emptying of warehouses and the introduction of goods into the market to "control inflation." Mahmoud Vaezi stated this on Wednesday, June 13, at the end of a cabinet meeting, adding that the cause of recent inflation is due to a "psychological and emotional atmosphere." He did not provide details about this "atmosphere," but reported on Rouhani's directive to all responsible institutions to address this issue and to quickly release existing goods in warehouses to "control inflation." Vaezi identified "inflation" as one of the most important topics discussed in the Iranian cabinet meeting, mentioning that currently, "even sectors receiving the 4200 Toman currency are calculating their sales at a higher currency rate." Rouhani's order to control inflation comes after Iranian markets have experienced severe fluctuations due to the U.S. withdrawal from the JCPOA. The latest news regarding changes in the prices of various currencies in the Iranian free market indicates that the price of the dollar reached 7500 Tomans and the euro 8400 Tomans on Wednesday. These fluctuations continue despite Rouhani's government having set the price of each dollar at 4200 Tomans since April, prohibiting the buying and selling of currency in the free market. Despite this prohibition, since then, the rate of the dollar and various foreign currencies in unofficial markets has been on the rise. The fluctuations in the currency market have also led to increases in the prices of gold and coins, electronic and household appliances, housing, cars, and even foodstuffs. The Asr Iran website reported on June 11 that the prices of some cars increased by 2 to 40 million Tomans in the past 10 days. Mohammad Aghataher, head of the union of food wholesalers, also stated in May that although there is no shortage or hoarding in the market, some product prices have slightly increased since the beginning of that month. The ISNA news agency reported in a late May report that the price of lamb meat compared to last Esfand increased by 16.1%, Pakistani Basmati rice by 21.6%, Iranian Hashemi rice by 6.8%, Thai rice by 11.8%, liquid oil by 4.4%, beef by 13.7%, and fresh chicken by 6.6%. Rouhani's government has previously faced criticism from its rivals for what they call "wrong economic policies." Opponents and critics of the government do not accept the Iranian president's statements about reducing the inflation rate to single digits and evaluate the statistics provided by the government in this regard as incorrect. According to the latest report from the Statistical Center of Iran, the twelve-month inflation rate ending in May this year reached 8%, which is one-tenth of a percentage point lower than the previous month. Valiollah Seif, the governor of the Central Bank of Iran, attributed the price increases in the Iranian market, especially in the area of coins, to "psychological factors," expressing hope that with the supply of pre-sold coins, these factors "can gradually be resolved." This hope has been expressed while European countries, despite announcing their commitment to the JCPOA, have acknowledged that they cannot force private companies concerned about U.S. sanctions due to business activities with Iran to remain in the country. So far, major companies such as Total, Maersk, Peugeot, General Electric, Honeywell, Boeing, Lukoil, Reliance, Davor Corporation, and Siemens have announced the suspension of cooperation with Iran due to fears of sanctions.