Iran’s supreme leader says economy protesters must be punished
Iran’s supreme leader yesterday demanded that the judiciary punish those “who disrupt economic security”, after protests against the rial’s collapse and a tightening of US sanctions pressure.
“The atmosphere for the work, life and livelihood of the people must be secure,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a meeting with judiciary officials, according to his website.
His comments followed those of hardline judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadegh Larijani, who on Tuesday threatened “economic saboteurs” with the death penalty.
Strikes against rising prices and a collapsing rial began with electronics vendors in Tehran on Sunday and spread to the capital’s Grand Bazaar on Monday. Anti-government protests followed.
Demonstrations at the start of the year spread to 80 provincial towns and cities and resulted in the deaths of more than 20 protesters. Facing escalations again, Iranian officials resorted to threats.
“These actions against [Iran’s] economic order are punishable by execution – if found to be on the level of ‘corruption on earth’ – or up to 20 years in prison and the confiscation of all possessions,” Ayatollah Larijani told judicial officials in Tehran. The chief justice said: “We will not hesitate to implement the law.”
Iranian officials have blamed the protests and the country’s economic state on a plot by the United States.
“The enemy is trying to disrupt our economy through a psychological operation,” Ayatollah Larijani said.
The government of US President Donald Trump has pursued more sanctions against Iran since withdrawing from 2015’s multi-party nuclear deal with Tehran last month.
The US is warning its allies against buying Iranian oil by the time the latest sanctions take effect on November 4. Foreign banks and businesses will face the risk of being blocked from the global dollar-based financial system if they continue dealing with Iran. The prospect of renewed sanctions is hurting business confidence and causing the value of the rial to plummet to record lows.
But renewed sanctions will not necessarily force Iranian authorities to bow to US pressure. In March, the International Monetary Fund estimated Iran had US$112 billion (Dh411.3bn) of foreign reserves and assets and a current account surplus, suggesting its economy may be able to withstand sanctions.
“I promise that the basic needs of Iranians will be provided. We have enough sugar, wheat and cooking oil. We have enough foreign currency to inject into the market,” President Hassan Rouhani said on Tuesday. In an attempt to control rising prices and resist US sanctions, the government banned imports of 1,339 products ranging from footwear to furniture, which the government believes could be produced at home.
It looks to be a return to the Iran’s “resistance economy” of self-sufficiency in the face of foreign pressure, which had eased as sanctions were lifted last year as part of the nuclear deal.
But financial woes are not the only grievances voiced by protesters, who have chanted “death to the dictator” and “Leave Syria and think about us”, in reference to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ support of Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in the country’s civil war.
“Slogans have targeted both sides,” – meaning reformists and hardliners in Iran’s government, said analyst Raman Ghavami. “The reality is that Iranians view both factions as one body.”