Two senior members of President Masoud Pezeshkian’s administration urged officials and citizens to refrain from public criticism of the government, describing Iran’s current economic and political situation as “wartime conditions.”
First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said on Sunday that criticism of the government’s performance was serving the enemy. Speaking at a meeting of the Market Regulation Headquarters, Aref accused outside actors of spreading “malicious and misleading analyses” following the recent 12-day conflict, which he said were being echoed domestically.
Iran’s Chamber of Commerce in September projected a worst-case scenario of a 60% currency plunge, inflation at 75%, and unemployment at 14% in the coming months.
Responding to growing discontent over the government’s handling of poverty and rising living costs, Aref said supervisory and economic institutions must “avoid giving excuses to the enemy” and “not dishearten the public.” He warned officials against airing internal disagreements in public, adding that “there is no need for officials to discuss disputes at podiums; such issues should be resolved in meetings.”
Officials defend government amid rising hardship
President Pezeshkian last week acknowledged that his administration’s economic policies were contributing to inflation, saying, “We are creating inflation. We are sleeping on gold, yet the people are hungry.” His remarks drew criticism from Javan, a newspaper affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which urged the president to address inequality instead of “repeating the word hunger.”
Mounting inflation, shrinking household purchasing power, and soaring living costs have deepened public frustration, exacerbated by the reactivation of the UN’s snapback sanctions mechanism against Iran.
Mohammad Jafar Ghaempanah, Pezeshkian’s executive deputy, also described the current situation as wartime on Sunday. Rising sanctions, he said, meant “the country must be evaluated in exceptional, not normal, circumstances.”
“Parliament members have the right to criticize the government,” Ghaempanah said. “But this is not the time to question how the country is being managed.”
Their remarks came amid intensifying domestic criticism over economic hardship, while Iranian officials continue to stress the need for “internal cohesion” against what they call a “hybrid war.”
