Latest News
- Non-oil Exports Of Kuwait Reached 106 Million Dinars In January,...
- Kuwait Joins The Global Celebration Of World Press Freedom Day
- Kuwaitis In UAE Advised To Exercise Caution Amid Unstable Weathe...
- MEW Has No Plans For Power Cuts And Is Ready To Tackle The Summe...
- Allow Employees To Transfer If Their Monthly Dues Are Not Paid
- Appeal Court Upholds Death Ruling In Friend’s Kill
- Pakistani Expat Died In A Tragic Accident
- The Hourly Domestic Workers Service Is A New Scam
- Kuwait Will Experience Moderately Hot Weather Over The Weekend
- No Additional Side Effects Found Of COVID-19 Vaccines In Kuwait
- Kuwait, Oman Sign A Nurse Training Agreement
- Saudi Arabia And Kuwait Share The Durra Field
Us Rejects Un Court Jurisdiction In Sanctions Case
Iran’s parliament voted on Tuesday to reject President Hassan Rouhani’s explanations for economic hardship after a dramatic grilling on live TV, a sign his pragmatic faction is losing sway to hardline rivals as new US sanctions begin to bite.
The vote in parliament came two days after lawmakers sacked the minister of economy and finance and weeks after they sacked the labour minister, blaming them for the collapse of the rial currency and surging inflation.
Rouhani won two landslide elections on a platform of economic reform and opening Iran up to the outside world, and his pragmatic supporters have a majority in the parliament. But his reputation and political influence have taken a sharp hit as his promised economic gains have failed to materialise.
His highest profile achievement was to negotiate the lifting of financial sanctions on Iran in a 2015 deal with world powers over its nuclear programme, but US President Donald Trump pulled out in May and Washington has re-imposed sanctions.
Rouhani spoke out in parliament in defence of his economic record, blaming the country’s woes on the US sanctions rather than his team’s management. But a majority of lawmakers voted to reject his explanation in four out of five areas.
There were conflicting reports about what would follow from the vote: several Iranian news agencies said Rouhani’s case would now be referred to the judiciary, although the spokesman for the parliamentary leadership, Behrouz Nemati, said lawmakers must hold further discussion before that would take place. The action in parliament is a further sign of how the Trump administration’s decision to reimpose sanctions could affect Iran’s leadership and its relationship with the outside world, potentially for decades to come. Iran’s rulers have been divided between a pragmatic faction that aims for better international relations, and hardliners who are wary of reforms. Trump’s decision to abandon the nuclear deal was opposed by US allies in Europe, who argued that he undermined Rouhani and strengthened the hands of the hardliners.
While Rouhani and his cabinet run Iran’s day-to-day affairs, ultimate authority lies with the Supreme Leader, 79-year-old Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, in power since 1989. Weakening the pragmatists now could affect the choice of Khamenei’s successor.
For now, Rouhani’s own position appears safe. The judiciary could determine that he broke the law and parliament has the power to impeach him, but experts on Iranian politics say power struggles are more likely to play out indirectly. “The parliament’s move is politically motivated and indicates that tensions would increase the Islamic Republic in coming months,” Saeed Laylaz, an Iranian economist, told Reuters by telephone from Tehran. “Iranian political factions have always used international issues to pursue their domestic gains,” he added.
After the sacking of the two ministers this month, Tasnim news agency reported that 70 lawmakers had signed a motion to impeach a third: the Minister of Industry, Mines and Business. Rouhani has bowed to pressure and fi red the head of the central bank. A deputy central bank governor was arrested by the judiciary on corruption charges in a crackdown that also saw foreign exchange dealers rounded up.
The lawmakers asked Rouhani on Tuesday about fi ve subjects: unemployment, slow economic growth, the fall of the rial, cross-border smuggling, and the lack of access by Iranian banks to global financial services. The parliament found only Rouhani’s answer about banks satisfactory. “I want to assure the Iranian nation that we will not allow the US plot against the Islamic Republic to succeed,” Rouhani told parliament. “We will not let this bunch of anti- Iranians in the White House be able to plot against us.” Iran’s official unemployment rate is 12 percent, with youth unemployment as high as 25 percent in a country where 60 percent of the 80 million population is under 30.
The rial has lost more than two-thirds of its value in a year. Iran’s economy has suffered not only from sanctions but also from pervasive corruption and the concentration of its wealth and trade in the hands of big firms controlled by the hardline Revolutionary Guards military force.
SOURCE : ARABTIMES
Trending News
-
Expat Residency Law Amended By Kuwait Ministerial...
20 April 2024
-
Ministry Announces Separate Time For Amnesty Seeke...
21 April 2024
-
The Ministry Connects With Violators Of Residency...
23 April 2024
-
Two Expats Are Arrested For Stealing From Salmiya...
17 April 2024
-
Work Permits Will Be Issued For One Year Under The...
27 April 2024
-
AstraZeneca Admits Covid Vaccine Can Cause Rare Si...
29 April 2024
-
3 Expats Caught In Salmiya With 213 Bottles Of Loc...
23 April 2024
-
Temperature Increases Cause Electricity Load Index...
21 April 2024
-
Al-Nuer Festival Celebrates Kuwaiti Agriculture Wi...
22 April 2024
-
Peak-time 'cut-offs' Raise Fears Of An Electricity...
22 April 2024
Comments Post Comment