Jamshid Asadi: Deceiving people into investing in the stock market is a "major crime" in terms of commercial law

As a new round of protests by stock market losers continues in the capital and other cities of Iran, economist Dr. Jamshid Asadi says that Hassan Rouhani's government has deceived people into participating in the stock market.

According to videos posted on social media, thousands of Iranian stock market investors, who are now considered Iranian losers, have been gathering in various cities in Iran over the past few months and days, chanting slogans such as "The government betrays, the leader supports," "Strolling Islam, humiliating the people," and "We've heard enough lies, we won't vote anymore."

Economist Dr. Jamshid Asadi, referring to the fact that investors' losses in the stock market are not surprising, told VOA: "Investors anywhere in the world, in the stock market or outside the stock market, may suffer losses... But in the Islamic Republic and in Mr. Rouhani's government, they deceived the people. That is, by putting companies on the stock market, they created a bubble and gave the people the illusion that profits were growing."

The economic strategy professor, who believes that this bubble was artificially created by the government to cover its budget deficit, added: "This is a major crime in terms of trade law in the world. But the Islamic Republic did this and people lost their money, so that the government could collect this liquidity for its own budget deficit."

According to available information, losers in the Iranian stock market, who joined the investment after the advice and encouragement of senior officials of the Islamic Republic, including Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Hassan Rouhani, last year, have lost their assets and capital after the collapse of the indices.

This Iranian economist further points out the lack of money in the government and says that if part of the sanctions are lifted, the government will have a thousand and one expenses, and compensation for those who lost their property may be one of the government's last priorities.

Mr. Asadi, calling the improvement of Iran's economic situation "impossible" with the current policies of the Islamic Republic, told Voice of America: "Even if Nobel Prize winners come and become ministers, the situation will be more or less the same; the same spread of poverty and the same losers. Remember, before the stock market losers, we had the losers of the Qard-ol-Hasanah funds."

While the protests of those who lost their money in the stock market continue in Iran, Ahmad Alireza Beigi, a representative from Tabriz and a member of the Internal Affairs and Councils Commission, addressed the Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance on Tuesday, April 21, in the parliament, referring to the "loss of 50 million Iranians in the stock market," saying: "The Iranian nation no longer trusts you."

Voice of America previously reported that in the continuation of a new round of union protests due to livelihood problems in Iran, those who lost money in the stock market as well as social security retirees have gathered in the capital and other cities and, chanting slogans, have emphasized not to participate in the upcoming presidential elections.

Opponents and critics of the Islamic Republic say that in the absence of a free referendum, the level of non-participation in the elections by the people will be a relative measure of the Islamic Republic's standing in Iranian society.

Source: Voice of America