Rouhani Boosted as Iran Speaker Challenges Rivals' Poll Vows
- Larijani say country can’t afford to hike subsidy payments
- Intervention could help sway some conservative voters
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President Hassan Rouhani’s reelection campaign received a boost as Iran’s influential speaker of parliament criticized spending pledges put forward by conservative rivals as unaffordable.
“The government does not have the ability to multiply subsidies by two or three,” Ali Larijani said in a speech in the central province of Qom. “Given the government’s revenues and expenses, it’s not feasible to increase” the $46 billion subsidy bill each year, he said on Monday, according to the official Islamic Republic News Agency.