TEHRAN- An economic expert believes that if Iran's authority over the Strait of Hormuz continues and compensation is received from the aggressor countries, not only will infrastructure reconstruction proceed quickly, but it will also be possible to achieve economic growth above 6–8 percent and automatically lift sanctions.

Hamidreza Jeyhani, in an interview with IRNA, responded to the question: After the war ends, what priorities should economic reconstruction and the post-war period have? He said: Since the end of the war and how it will unfold are not yet clear, we must consider the post-war period through different scenarios. The best scenario is receiving compensation from the belligerent countries and consolidating Iran's sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.

Expressing hope that through battlefield and diplomatic efforts this imposed war can be well managed and brought to an end, he stated: To achieve this victory, we must maintain control and intelligent management of the Strait of Hormuz.

The economic expert emphasized that receiving compensation from the aggressors must be on the agenda of officials, especially in the diplomatic arena. He added: Achieving this requires approval from relevant global authorities. If we can do this, then according to the rules governing post-war reconstruction and subsequent national models, the reconstruction of industries and infrastructure that have been attacked and damaged will be carried out with great success and speed.

Jeyhani stated: I believe that in that case, we will move toward an economic leap following our military and political superpower status in the region, and we will achieve an economic growth leap domestically. I can even predict that we will have economic growth of over 6 to 8 percent.

Regarding the actions necessary for economic growth, he replied: If compensation and authority over the Strait of Hormuz are achieved, the most important benefit will be that our economic and political interaction equations with the world will be completely transformed. That is, if we can control the management of the Strait of Hormuz, the sanctions regime will automatically become obsolete.

Emphasizing that even for implementing economic projects in the post-war period, we need to consolidate Iran's sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz, he said: Imagine we need to import certain parts to reconstruct damaged sectors of the economy. In that case, some countries might refuse to cooperate under the pretext of sanctions, but if Iran controls the Strait of Hormuz, they will be forced to cooperate.

In this regard, Jeyhani referred to the incident of a French ship carrying chemical fertilizer passing through the Strait of Hormuz, which led France to engage with Iran.

He explained: When the international sanctions regime collapses and becomes obsolete in this way, we can also expect foreign investors to enter various economic fields, because then Iran's position as the supreme military and security power in the Persian Gulf will be consolidated.

Regarding the outlook for this year's inflation rate, given last year's rise and war-induced inflation, the economic expert said: In my opinion, in the current circumstances, economic policymakers' primary target should not be inflation.

Jeyhani added: Even from a livelihood perspective, the government can support various financing models, such as issuing bonds or borrowing from different segments of society and businesses, and provide necessary support packages. Therefore, in the current situation, we should not target reducing inflation but rather seek the return of economic growth and its increase.

MA