Repetition of Contradictions by 'Mr. President'; Economic Claims of Ebrahim Raisi on Television

In his recent television interview, Ebrahim Raisi reiterated his claims on various issues, including the economy, many of which do not align with the current realities in the country. The President of the thirteenth government claimed that 'some previously said it was impossible to sell oil, but we proved that it is possible to sell oil and receive payment for it.' However, reports indicate that Iran's oil exports are sold at significantly discounted prices in competition with Russian oil. Regarding the return of funds, not only is there no access to the oil dollars earned from oil exports, but Iran's blocked funds in countries like Iraq and South Korea are also expected to be released through the purchase of goods approved by the U.S. Raisi also claimed to compensate for a budget deficit of 480 trillion tomans through oil exports. This claim comes as Hossein Raghfar stated to Aftab News that 'during the thirteenth government, they have printed money as much as they could, and on the other hand, a significant portion of the budget deficit was covered by the increase in the exchange rate. In fact, they covered the budget deficit costs from the pockets of the people.' Raisi also asserted that the situation of essential goods reserves in the country is satisfactory, despite facing shortages at the beginning of his administration. A review of published news regarding essential goods shows that the reserves are not in good condition, and the supply of animal feed has also encountered problems. In this context, the director general of ports and maritime affairs of Khuzestan province reported on May 22 that 36 ships are anchored at Imam Port, facing currency issues for clearing these goods. Regarding inflation, Raisi claimed that they reduced inflation by 20% over six months. However, official reports contradict this claim, with the monthly report from the Statistical Center of Iran indicating an increase of over 76% in food prices compared to May of last year. Hemmati, the former governor of the Central Bank, reacted to Raisi's statements on Twitter, stating: 'It was expected that Mr. Raisi would clearly explain the outcome of his specific promises made during the elections to the people after two years. They mentioned a reduction in inflation to 40% at the end of 1400, but did not mention the 60% inflation in May of this year. State TV also helped to discuss promises in another program.' Another topic Raisi addressed in his television remarks was the dollar. He claimed the stability of the dollar price until the first half of 1401 and attributed fluctuations to 'enemy interference' and nationwide protests. However, these statements do not align with the current economic realities, as dollar price fluctuations are more influenced by government policies and budget deficits than by the factors Raisi claims. Experts believe that government economic policies and the lack of a clear outlook for economic actors are among the factors that have driven the dollar price to around 50,000 tomans. Two banks recorded a loss of 75 trillion tomans; inflation and poverty are the results of banks profiting with people's money. A journalist in Iran told Voice of America that conditions are similar to a 'collapsing Soviet Union.' Loans are unpaid; money is being wasted from people's pockets. The Administrative Justice Court of the Islamic Republic opposed the increase in workers' wages. The return of coupons to Iran; experts told Voice of America that controlling discontent with food stamps is not possible. Retirees gathered on protest Sundays: 'Our salary is only enough for 10 days.' The livelihood crisis; a family with two earners is still below the 30 million toman poverty line. The train of inflationary recession is accelerating on the tables of Iranians; yogurt has increased by 30%. Ice cream costs 170,000 tomans per kilogram; a trade official stated that all raw materials have become more expensive. A new wave of meat price increases has begun.