TEHRAN, Iran — Economists in Iran are encouraging the administration of President Hassan Rouhani to take a softer position on those who accumulated questionable wealth between 2005 and 2012, when the country enjoyed oil revenues totaling a record $700 billion — amid harsh sanctions. Indeed, some economists are now warning that capital flight will be exacerbated should the administration not allow this “new social class” to play a role in the Iranian economy.
The advice appears to have been heeded by Rouhani. In an Oct. 12 address in the northern province of Mazandaran, he moderated his previously harsh tone toward the “dealers of sanctions” — a term referring to the individuals and influential firms affiliated with military and political organizations that made astronomical profits while the country was under crippling economic sanctions.