According to the most optimistic current estimates, the government of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani can hope to earn a maximum revenue of $25 billion from oil exports during the current Iranian year, which began on March 20.

Gharazi confirmed the rise in unemployment for the previous year and noted: “One of the major causes of the spike in unemployment in the recent years has been the closing down of small and big production units in various parts of the country that rendered many workers in these workshops unemployed.”

He continued: “I too was a producer and managed a small workshop. Last year, after 15 years, this workshop closed down in the final days of last Persian year and 50 workers were laid off.”

He referred to the monopoly on Iran’s bazaar and economy, which is in the hands of state institutions. Gharazi explained that the lack of competition allows these institutions to hold onto goods indefinitely and force the bazaar to accept greatly inflated prices.