Iran’s Pezeshkian promises economic reform amid spiral of protests | Economic and commercial news

President Masoud Pezeshkian strikes a conciliatory tone in an interview broadcast on state television, but accuses the United States and Israel of fueling unrest that has left dozens dead.

President Masoud Pezeshkian has pledged to reform Iran’s struggling economy, saying his government is “ready to listen to its people” after two weeks of increasingly violent violence. nationwide protests.

Pezeshkian took a conciliatory approach in a televised interview Sunday on state television, saying his embattled administration was determined to solve the country’s economic problems while accusing the United States and Israel of fomenting deadly unrest.

The crisis erupted after Iran’s currency plummeted in late December following years of economic hardship, sparking massive protests over soaring living costs and inflation. These protests have since taken on a more political and anti-government nature.

The president accused the United States and Israel of trying to “sow chaos and disorder” by directing elements of the unrest and called on Iranians to distance themselves from what he described as “rioters and terrorists.”

THE demonstrations are the largest in Iran since a 2022-2023 protest movement sparked by the death in custody of Mahsa Aminiwho had been arrested for allegedly violating the strict dress code imposed on women.

“People have concerns. We should sit down with them and, if it’s our duty, we should resolve their concerns,” Pezeshkian said. “But the most important duty is not to allow a group of rioters to come and destroy the entire society.”

Tohid Asadi, Al Jazeera correspondent in Tehran, said Iranian officials had spent the past week trying to distinguish between the protesters and what they described as foreign-trained rioters.

Asadi added that senior officials had recognized public anger as justified, citing “soaring prices, high inflation and the drastic devaluation of the local currency which are currently putting enormous pressure on the pockets of the local population.”

State media reported that 109 members of the security forces were killed during the protests.

Parliament Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf reinforced the distinction between peaceful and armed demonstrators during his remarks to lawmakers on Sunday, saying Iran recognized “people’s peaceful protests for economic reasons” but would oppose “terrorists.”

A former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Qalibaf also issued a stern warning to Washington after US President Donald Trump threatened military action if Iranian authorities killed protesters.

“In the event of an attack on Iran, the occupied territories [Israel] as well as all US bases and ships will be our legitimate target,” he said as some lawmakers reportedly chanted anti-US slogans.

Trump had said on social media that the United States was “ready to help” Iran, suggesting possible strikes but ruling out sending ground troops. His comments represent a significant escalation as Tehran faces its most serious domestic challenge in years.

The Interior Ministry said the unrest was easing as Iran’s attorney general warned participants they risked the death penalty. A nationwide internet outage has persisted for more than 60 hours, according to monitoring groups.

Human rights organizations reported that at least 51 protesters were killed by security forces, including nine children, and hundreds more were injured and mass arrests took place across the country.