TEHRAN, March 2 (Xinhua) — Iranian lawmakers on Sunday impeached Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance Abdolnaser Hemmati due to the country’s economic problems, the official news agency IRNA reported.
After being impeached at an open parliamentary session over issues such as high inflation and the depreciation of the national currency, Hemmati failed to secure the parliament’s vote of confidence, with 182 out of 273 members of parliament voting in favor of his removal, the report said.
According to IRNA, the impeachment session was held in the morning, during which Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian delivered a speech in defense of his finance minister, followed by the voting session in the afternoon.
Pezeshkian said the country’s economic problems could not be blamed on one person, adding Iran was in an economic war “far worse and more horrible” than the country’s eight-year war with Iraq during 1980-88, according to IRNA.
“We admit that there are problems in the country, and no one is immune to making mistakes,” he said, adding his administration was making all-out efforts to resolve the problems of the people and society and overcome the country’s crises.
