Analysis by PMOI/MEK
Iran, May 5, 2019 – Eshagh Jahangiri, First Vice President of the mullahs' regime ruling Iran, told a group of reporters on Saturday that the regime may be forced into rationing various goods and issuing coupons.
“We may be forced to ration various goods and launch coupons for some items. This is an idea that has garnered support inside the government and outside the executive branch,” he said to a group of state-run outlet reporters. “Soon we will have to make a decision that will impact the country’s future.”
Last Wednesday, state-run media reported of increasing gasoline prices parallel to rationing the fuel. However, the social uproar to this latest regime plot to further plunder the Iranian people were so harsh that regime officials were forced to cancel these measures until further notice.
Iranian regime Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli lashed at media outlets associated to the regime’s Revolutionary Guards (IRGC), emphasizing the issue of increasing gasoline prices and rationing policies are considered security matters for the regime.
“We are heading towards further limitations,” Jahangiri acknowledged. “It has been thirty years, since the [Iran-Iraq war] that we have marched towards decreasing the government’s size. Today, all of a sudden, we need to put aside all those practices, rules and regulations.”
The government of regime's president Hassan Rouhani intends to eliminate further goods from the list of essential items. Essential goods are daily necessities that the government is obligated to allocate U.S. dollars at 42,000 rials (the government rate) for their import. The black market price of the U.S. dollar reached 150,500 rials on Sunday.
“We designated a number of goods last year, classifying them as essential goods that must be procured in all conditions considering the fact that most of the society is in need of these goods. This year, we will be procuring a portion of our essential goods – most of which are provided for inside the country and a small portion was imported – with U.S. dollars purchased at 42,000 rials,” he added.
When Jahangiri was making these comments, each dollar was selling on the black market at 145,000 rials. As a result, the goods being eliminated from the essential goods list will face a minimum two-fold price increase.
Jahangiri also referred to the increasing prices of paper. Just recently, the price of paper increased to 1 million rials in the span of a mere 48 hours. “Some people have received U.S. dollars at 42,000 rials, started importing paper and distributing them in networks initially targeted by a government ministry. This case will be followed up to the very end and necessary actions will be taken.”
