As Iran’s economic crisis, inflation, and declining purchasing power continue, recent remarks by Hamid Rasai, a member of the Iranian regime’s parliament, regarding the possibility of a sharp increase in gasoline prices have once again heightened concerns about growing pressure on people’s livelihoods. These remarks come at a time when a large portion of society is already struggling under the burden of inflation and rising prices, and any new economic decision could trigger a fresh wave of public discontent.
Rasai wrote in a post on X that there is a faction within the government which, according to him, sees the solution to economic problems in deregulating prices and increasing costs. He claimed that this faction intends to reduce subsidized gasoline quotas and raise the price of non-subsidized gasoline.
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These remarks come as gasoline price hikes have consistently been one of the most sensitive economic and social issues in Iran in recent years. The experience of the sudden gasoline price increase in November 2019 remains fresh in the public memory, and many citizens view any change in fuel prices as the beginning of a new wave of rising costs for goods and services.
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Rasai further blamed the same economic faction for eliminating the preferential exchange rate. He claimed that the result of these policies has been the highest inflation imposed on the people since the 1979 revolution. Without referring to the role of the broader ruling structure in the economic crisis, the parliament member attempted to portray part of the government as directly responsible for worsening pressure on people’s livelihoods.
However, economic experts have repeatedly emphasized that the inflation crisis, the collapse of the national currency’s value, and widespread price increases are the result of decades of structural corruption, administrative inefficiency, and the heavy costs of the regime’s policies. Under such conditions, any increase in gasoline prices could quickly affect transportation costs, food prices, and essential goods, making life even more difficult for millions of citizens.
At the same time, the remarks sparked widespread reactions on social media. Many users expressed concern about a repeat of previous fuel price hike scenarios. Others viewed the renewed disputes among regime officials as a sign of intensifying crisis within the power structure.
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In another part of his remarks, Rasai targeted Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the speaker of the parliament. He claimed that Ghalibaf, by unjustifiably sealing off parliament, has prevented lawmakers from overseeing government decisions. According to Rasai, conditions have deteriorated to the point that carrying out parliamentary duties has become difficult, and parliament has been placed in a state of deliberate paralysis.
In recent months, disputes among various factions of the regime over the management of the economic crisis have intensified. Each faction is trying to shift responsibility for the current situation onto the others, while the main burden of these crises continues to fall on the people.
At a time when inflation remains high and living costs continue to rise daily, the renewed discussion of gasoline price hikes has intensified social concerns. At the same time, revelations and verbal clashes among regime officials present a picture of disorder and crisis within the country’s decision-making structure—a crisis whose consequences directly affect the daily lives of the people.
