Iranian regime president Masoud Pezeshkian made a surprise appearance at the Ministry of Economy and Finance to support his Minister of Economy Abdolnasser Hemmati. Simultaneously, the vice-chairman of the regime’s parliament announced that the impeachment of Hemmati was on the agenda and the hearing was scheduled to be held on March 2.
On Wednesday, February 19, Hamidreza Haji Babaei, vice-chairman of the regime’s parliament, announced the official receipt of the impeachment motion and said that the Minister of Economy must appear in parliament within 10 days to answer questions from the representatives.
Roots of the Impeachment: Economic Crisis and Discontent of the Regime’s Parliament
According to some analysts, the roots of Hemmati’s impeachment can be traced back to the time of his vote of confidence, when he was appointed as the Minister of Economy with the fewest possible votes and faced strong opposition in the regime’s parliament from the outset.
The economic situation has been very unstable in the past six months, and Pezeshkian’s government has failed to control the currency exchange rate and inflation. The announcement of Hemmati’s impeachment reflects “deep crises and widespread disagreements among different factions in the structure of the Iranian government.”
Given the staggering rise in the price of the dollar after the recent speech of regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei, instead of fundamentally solving the problems, only executive officials are sacrificed, and ultimately, the cycle of crisis continues.
The Impact of the Impeachment on the Future of Pezeshkian’s Government
It seems that after this impeachment, other ministers from Pezeshkian’s government who do not have broad political support will also be under pressure and likely to be dismissed.
Coinciding with the announcement of the impeachment date, the price of the dollar in Iran continued to rise, reaching 925,000 rials on February 19. Since the beginning of Pezeshkian’s government, the value of the Iranian rial has fallen by about 50 percent against the dollar, even though the government has repeatedly promised to implement a “single exchange rate” policy.
Pezeshkian’s Support for Hemmati: Surprise Visit to the Ministry of Economy
In response to the impeachment of the Minister of Economy, Pezeshkian made an unexpected visit to the Ministry of Economy and Finance on Wednesday to announce his support for Hemmati.
On Tuesday, after appearing in the regime’s parliament, the president of the regime also made a surprise visit to the Central Bank and, in a conversation with reporters, tried to put an end to “rumors in some media” about possible changes in his economic team.
These reactions seem to follow a recent report published by the Sazandegi newspaper, which reported the dismissal of Mohammad Reza Farzin, the head of the Central Bank. However, economic crises, currency fluctuations and pressures from the regime’s parliament continue to be a serious challenge for Pezeshkian’s government.
