Pezeshkian: Saipa and Other Companies to Be Privatized Following Iran Khodro

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said late Thursday, August 6, 2026 (15 Mordad 1405), in the second part of a televised interview with the public, carried in full by Ecoiran, that the divestiture of carmaker Saipa and several other companies, following the earlier privatization of Iran Khodro, is now on the government's agenda. "The divestiture of Saipa and various other divisions and companies is now planned, so that we can hand them over as far as possible," he said.

Referring to the earlier privatization of Iran Khodro, Pezeshkian said the economy minister subsequently faced an impeachment motion in parliament over the move, describing this kind of pushback as typical of the resistance that forms against any liberalization decision in the country. The president stressed that divestiture does not mean quasi state ownership, but genuine transfer to the private sector so that companies can cover their own costs, adding that many past divestitures were reversed under pressure and that the reversed units have not operated efficiently since.

Explaining the rationale, he said state bodies such as the Social Security Organization, despite owning numerous factories and companies, are currently unable to cover the medical costs of their beneficiaries, attributing the inefficiency mainly to state management of these enterprises.