Iran MPs remove minister over rising prices, sanctions over nuclear ambitions a factor
- Industry Minister Reza Fatemi Amin failed to garner enough support in a vote of confidence that saw 162 MPs vote in favour of his removal and 102 against
- A major factor in the impeachment was the rising price of domestic vehicles after foreign imports dried up because of sanctions over Iran’s nuclear ambitions
Iran’s parliament voted in an impeachment session on Sunday to remove the industry minister amid soaring prices as the Islamic republic’s economy reels under the pressure of international sanctions.
Reza Fatemi Amin failed to garner enough support in a vote of confidence that saw 162 MPs vote in favour of his removal and 102 against.
It was the second time he had faced such a vote in parliament over the same issues, after securing 182 votes in a November majority vote that meant he stayed in the post.
A major factor in the new impeachment was the rising price of domestically manufactured vehicles after foreign imports dried up because of sanctions over Iran’s nuclear ambitions.
Last year the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in major policies, criticised the high prices and low quality of home-made products including cars.
Sunday’s vote came with the economy battered by Western sanctions, rampant inflation and record depreciation of the rial against the dollar since 2018 when then president Donald Trump withdrew the US from a landmark nuclear deal with Tehran and reimposed biting sanctions.
