استقالة وزير النفط الإيراني تكشف عمق الأزمة الاقتصادية

The resignation of Iranian Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad revealed the extent of the pressures caused by the ongoing war between Washington and Tehran for the past seven months, particularly on the country's economy.

The resignation came after rare warnings issued by Iranian National Security Advisor Mohsen Rezaei, which were overlooked by official media, except for the "IRNA" agency. It merely noted that Rezaei described the current situation in a high-level government meeting held last Saturday in Tehran as "one of the most difficult periods the country has faced."

This meeting included President Masoud Bezhakian and several senior ministers, according to the "New York Times." Bezhakian acknowledged the deterioration of economic conditions in a post on social media last Saturday, but he emphasized that the government "has adopted a new approach to managing exceptional circumstances." However, he did not provide additional details about the nature of this approach or the measures the government intends to implement.

Since the outbreak of the war on February 28, the Iranian rial has sharply declined, but this decline has accelerated in recent weeks with the tightening of U.S. sanctions and the continuation of the U.S. naval blockade on Iranian ports, leading to increased import costs and deepening the cost of living crisis that Iran has been suffering from for years. This crisis had sparked widespread protests across the country last December before security forces suppressed them.

Analysts confirmed that the U.S. naval blockade has significantly limited Iran's ability to export its oil, which is the main source of state revenues, exacerbating the fuel crisis within the country. The United States has imposed restrictions on most civilian flights between Iran and the rest of the world, adding a new layer of economic isolation.

Meanwhile, employees in both the public and private sectors, including nurses and teachers, announced on social media that they were leaving their jobs due to insufficient salaries to cover living expenses. Local media reported that retirees from the government sector organized protests in recent weeks, asserting that they had not received their full pension entitlements.