Page 7 - IRANRptAug18

2.3 Iran’s Revolutionary Guard calls on president to do more to fight collapse of rial
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has called on President Hassan Rouhani to do more to stem the severe devaluation of the Iranian rial (IRR) after the currency fell to an all-time low this week ahead of the reimposition of heavy US sanctions.
“The unique and extensive backing you benefited from in past weeks should not preclude you from taking revolutionary actions to control prices and prevent the enormous increase in the price of foreign currency and gold,” IRGC commander Mohammad Ali Jafari was quoted as saying in an open letter to Rouhani, published by Tasnim news agency on July 31. “Decision-making in today’s difficult circumstances necessitates revolutionary determination and decisiveness in dealing with certain managers’ weaknesses,” he added.
The IRGC controls a great range of companies in Iran and thus will have a big state in how the Iranian economy fares under an economic assault from the US set to be unprecedented in its intensity. But the military organisation, also referred to as The Army of the Guardians of the Islamic Revolution or “Sepah” and which is meant to protect the theocratic establishment from coups, also speaks up for hardliners who feel Iran should never have trusted the US enough to sign the nuclear deal—the multilateral pact agreed in late 2015 which lifted crippling sanctions against Iran but which Donald Trump now wants renegotiated to reshape Iran’s role in Middle East affairs.
In a separate appeal, some 200 MPs have sent Rouhani a letter demanding that he shake up his economic team and replace the ministers for economic and financial affairs and industry, trade and mines, the semi-official Iranian Students’ News Agency reported.
The lawmakers have also given Rouhani one month to appear before parliament to answer questions amid growing public discontent over the country's deepening economic difficulties.
MPs said they want to question the president on topics including weak economic growth, rising unemployment, and the dramatic decline of the IRR. They also reportedly want Rouhani to explain why, after more than two years after signing the nuclear deal with six major powers, Iranian banks only have limited access to global financial services.
On July 31, pictures and videos posted on social networks appeared to show hundreds of demonstrators rallying in several Iranian cities, including Isfahan and Karaj, in protest against high inflation caused in part by the weak rial, RFE/RL reported.
On the same day, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif registered Iran’s latest objection to Trump’s proposal that he would be willing to meet Rouhani with “no preconditions”. He told Trump to “Try respect” rather than tactics such as threats.
“Iran and US had 2 yrs of talks,” Zarif wrote on Twitter on Tuesday. “With EU/E3+Russia+China, we produced a unique multilateral accord—the JCPOA [Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action,” he added.
7 IRAN Country Report August 2018 www.intellinews.com