MOSCOW, February 1. /TASS/. Unrest that gripped Iran last year had a negative impact on the economic situation in the Islamic Republic, the country’s president Ebrahim Raisi said in an interview to Iranian television on the eve of the Islamic revolution’s anniversary.
"The unrest created problems for businesses and added volatility to the market, pushing up the dollar. Of course it was one of factors behind the high dollar exchange rate, but not the only reason," he said.
The Iranian president went on to say that the country’s government is paying close attention to the problem of inflation in the country.
"I monitor commodity prices daily. People’s demands for stable prices are quite reasonable. We all suffer from growing commodity prices. Things that make the people suffer also make the government suffer," the president added.
Protests gripped Iran after the funeral of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16. According to the official version, this Kurdish girl was detained by the police for not wearing her headscarf properly. During an interrogation that followed, she suffered a heart attack and died. Social media, however, spread word that Amini had been beaten by the police. On October 7, the Iranian Forensic Medicine Authority published an official report on the cause of her death noting that she had not sustained any trauma.
According to Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, over three months, the rallies and processions had widened to engulf 157 cities and populated localities with the protesters demanding democratic changes, condemning state repression and calling for the release of those arrested.
The government of the Islamic Republic accused UK, Israeli, Saudi and US special services of contributing to the unrest.