Hossein Taeb, head of the Basij Organization, threatened that continued economic pressure on the Islamic Republic would result in economic disruption for the United States, Israel, and other countries worldwide.
Speaking on Thursday, August 27, at the “Guild Basij Day” ceremony in Qom, Taeb stated that if Iran’s economy is disrupted, the economies of the U.S. and Israel will suffer, and the global economy will be damaged.
“Therefore, they have no choice but to fulfill their commitments,” he added. Taeb did not specify which commitments he was referring to, though another part of his speech addressed the cease-fire, vessel transit through the Strait of Hormuz, and the naval blockade of Iran.
The Basij chief claimed that following their failure in military warfare, the U.S. and Israel have turned to economic, security, and media warfare to disrupt Iranian production and trade and induce public discontent.
Referring to guilds, merchants, and producers as “officers of the economic war,” he used military terminology, stating: “Every Iranian is stationed at a launcher, one at a missile launcher, and another at an economic launcher.”
Taeb urged the Guild Basij to step in to maintain market stability, prevent business closures, boost production, and cut consumption. He also labeled “societal polarization” a “social vice,” asserting that no one should speak or act in a way that deepens social divides.
The Basij head reported Iran’s daily gasoline consumption at approximately 135 million liters, with daily imports at 14 million liters. According to him, a 10 percent reduction in consumption could eliminate the country’s need for fuel imports.
These remarks come days after Masoud Pezeshkian’s Executive Vice President confirmed that the Islamic Republic’s government is unable to import gasoline due to the U.S. naval blockade. Concurrently, officials from the National Iranian Oil Products Distribution Company reported a 30 percent spike in gasoline consumption in Tehran Province.
Without citing a source for his data, Taeb also claimed that the U.S. is drawing from its Strategic Petroleum Reserve daily to prevent market disruption, alleging that continuing this trend for the next six to seven weeks will cause significant issues for the country.
The Basij chief’s comments regarding economic resilience come as Central Bank statistics show point-to-point inflation reaching 84.4 percent in August 2026. Rising food prices, the depreciation of the rial, commodity shortages, and fuel import disruptions have intensified financial pressure on Iranian households.
Taeb further claimed that the Islamic Republic maintained control of the Strait of Hormuz during the war and thwarted U.S. efforts to establish a new shipping lane. He provided no details regarding the alleged agreement, how the waterway is managed, or any commitments involving Iran and Oman.
Hossein Taeb was appointed head of the Basij Organization on August 10. He previously served as commander of the Basij Resistance Force from 2007 to 2009 and as head of the IRGC Intelligence Organization from 2009 to 2022.
His tenure leading IRGC Intelligence was marked by the violent suppression of protests, arrests of political activists, journalists, demonstrators, and dual nationals, along with the creation of extensive security cases. After being removed from that post, he served as an advisor to the IRGC Commander-in-Chief.