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By\u00a0Amir Taghati<\/p>\n
With the U.S.\u2019 zero-export-policy firmly in place, Iran\u2019s regime officials are concerned about compensating for the lack of incoming foreign currency. The country is already embroiled in debates between opposing factions of the ruling elite to determine the right way to approach the international community.<\/p>\n
Iran regime\u2019s Leader Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani claim Iran will sell as much oil as it wants despite the new no-waiver policy going into effect at the end of May for Iran\u2019s oil exports. And, Iran has already lost a great amount of money due to sanctions.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, from inside the regime many voices are speaking out. For instance, former senior Iran regime\u2019s diplomat Seyed Hossein Mousavi says the \u201ccrises riddled U.S.-Iran relations will depreciate over time.\u201d Mousavi emphasized, \u201cAdding the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) to the Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) list shows the increasing seriousness of the U.S. government\u2019s animosity vis-\u00e0-vis the Islamic Republic of Iran. This is a provoking approach that without a doubt U.S. president Donald Trump will continue over the next two years. Based on such an approach, Iran\u2019s vital national interests require the officials responsible for the country\u2019s national interests to have a thorough understanding of the coming situation and making the right decisions on time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Following these comments, Mousavi asked Iranian regime\u2019s officials not to wait for the next U.S. presidential election, which will probably result in a change in the U.S. administration. He warned, \u201cFirstly, Trump\u2019s approval rating has risen and there are no guarantees that Democrats will win the elections. Secondly, the destruction in the first two years and until the end of Trump\u2019s first term will be so severe there will be no escape for the next elected [president].\u201d<\/p>\n
An example of how many representatives of the ruling elite are following Mousavi\u2019s advice, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif recently visited the U.S. and granted an interview with Fox News. The interview, aired on Sunday, shows Zarif attempting to drive a wedge between Trump and senior members of the U.S. administration. Zarif referred to them as the “B team,” and said that they are trying to push U.S. President Trump “into a confrontation he doesn’t want.\u201d<\/p>\n
A political analyst close to Rouhani\u2019s so-called moderate camp, Ahmad Zeidabadi, warns about the internal political division, \u201cIn order for a consensus over not negotiating [with the U.S.] to succeed, even if it is a right decision, it needs a consensus to handle the situation inside the country, which there is no prospect for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zeidabadi implicitly supports negotiating. \u201cIf the officials want to take up the initiative in the face of increasing foreign pressure, they shouldn\u2019t be afraid of new decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n
The devastating consequences for the Iranian economy due to the decrease in oil exports is examined by the Jomhouri Eslami newspaper, close to Rouhani\u2019s faction. The newspaper suggests three solutions:<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are at least three sources that could potentially cover the lack of income due to decreasing oil exports:<\/p>\n
– Reforms in how public subsidies are paid,<\/p>\n
– Expanding the taxes umbrella,<\/p>\n
– Removing state-set prices for some products, such as petrochemicals and stopping to distribute currency at state prices.\u201d<\/p>\n
However, the Ebtekar daily, also close to Rouhani\u2019s faction, warns about covering the oil deficit out of the peoples\u2019 pockets. It warns, \u201cTargeting the people solely to cover the damages inflicted by sanctions\u2026 can create a new crisis in the societal, economic, and political fabric of the country.\u201d<\/p>\n
It continues, \u201cTo fundamentally change the country\u2019s economy, you can not only count on the people. Decision-making institutions must have the utmost resolve to welcomes changes from within. This needs a powerful and multidimensional mechanism for leaving some interests that haven\u2019t been challenged until this very day.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
By Amir Taghati With the U.S.’ zero-export-policy firmly in place, Iran’s regime officials are concerned about compensating for the lack of incoming foreign currency. The country is already embroiled in debates […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":53070,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71],"tags":[178],"class_list":{"0":"post-26136","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-blog","8":"tag-save"},"yoast_head":"\n