Mohammad Reza Aref told a meeting of the market regulation headquarters that the government had steered the country through difficult wartime conditions with cohesion and coordination. "The enemy now wants to make up for its defeat on the military front in an economic war, and the government must stand against this approach with proper planning," he said.
Aref said the enemy's resources in economic warfare might be greater, but the experience of the two recent imposed wars showed that national unity and cohesion could overcome the adversary.
He ordered intensified market supervision, saying inspection bodies should deal seriously with overpricing, underweight selling and hoarding. He said a central market oversight headquarters would begin with guidance but would move to legal action if violations continued.
Aref said improving livelihoods remained the top priority for the president and the government, with curbing inflation, stabilising the market and protecting purchasing power for essential goods, particularly for vulnerable groups, among the main goals over the next two years.
He also stressed the need to prepare for worst-case scenarios, saying the enemy was active on the economic and social front and seeking to create discontent and social breakdown. The private sector had stood with the government during the two recent wars and could play an effective role in managing the market and resisting economic pressure, he said.
On the regional situation, Aref said Iran was law-abiding internationally but would not surrender its rights and must protect the achievements of the recent war, including in the management of the Strait of Hormuz.
MNA