Iran’s parliament speaker escalated pressure on President Masoud Pezeshkian’s government this week, a move that reformist website Rouydad24 said marked the end of an early political “honeymoon” and a bid to distance the legislature from a government facing an economic crisis.
The outlet said Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s unusually blunt warning in parliament this week – that lawmakers could move to impeach cabinet ministers if prices continue to rise – went beyond routine oversight and marked a strategic shift away from the rhetoric of “consensus” that initially defined relations between the legislature and the administration.
According to Rouydad24, Ghalibaf is seeking to distance himself from the government’s economic record as inflation, a plunging rial and rising living costs fuel public anger, recasting himself as an independent watchdog rather than a political partner.
The analysis said the warning reflected a broader recalibration in Tehran, where parliamentary backing for the government has given way to open boundary-setting, including criticism of economic ministers and senior appointments.
Ghalibaf’s move comes as parliament has already demonstrated its willingness to act, having impeached Economy Minister Abdolnasser Hemmati earlier this year over rising prices, showing that the threat against the Pezeshkian government is not merely symbolic.
Kazem Delkhosh, the deputy for legislative affairs in the president’s parliamentary office, said on Monday that Pezeshkian and members of his economic team will attend a joint session of parliament on Tuesday to discuss broader economic issues and rising living-cost pressures.
