Iran’s Parliamentary Commission to Hold Extraordinary Meeting on Recent Protests
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Commission plans to hold an extraordinary meeting to discuss recent protests in the country against high prices, a member of the commission said.
Speaking to the Tasnim News Agency, Abolfazl Hassan-Beigi said the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission would hold the meeting at the parliament on Monday.
Although some members of the commission are on visits to their constituencies, the meeting will be held with all the members in attendance.
Some cities in Iran have been scenes of demonstrations in the past days after prices of several staples rose by up to 40 percent.
During the rallies, people called on the government to help control rising food prices and inflation, but some opportunists attempted to turn the situation ugly and materialize their vested interests at the cost of social security.
The US president also sided with the opportunists, tweeting, “…Iranian govt should respect their people’s rights, including the right to express themselves. The world is watching!”
This is while according to Article 27 of the Iranian Constitution, “public gatherings and marches are allowed so long as the participants do not carry arms and are not in violation of the fundamental principles of Islam.”
Iranian officials maintain that peaceful protests are the right of every citizen as long as the rallies comply with the legal conditions.
Iranian President Hassan Rouhani began his second term in office in August, with the country’s economic issues high on his agenda.
Rouhani’s administration has managed to reduce the inflation rate, but it still faces many economic challenges.
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei has said economic issues were the country’s top priority, urging Iranian officials to make relentless efforts to solve problems facing the people, including unemployment among the youth.
“Economy must be the top priority of all members and sectors of the government,” the Leader said in a meeting with President Rouhani and the members of his administration in August.
In a speech on Wednesday, Ayatollah Khamenei once again called on officials to pursue the Resistance Economy with determination in order to address “high prices, inflation and recession.”