TEHRAN – Iran’s economic 
security police have established a nationwide task force to monitor and prevent hoarding of essential goods and to crack down on any exploitation related to the removal of preferential foreign currency, officials said on Wednesday.
Brigadier General Hussein Rahimi, head of the Economic Security Police, said the task force, operating under the police’s economic security division, is responsible for continuous monitoring of the market, identifying hoarding and disrupting attempts to manipulate the distribution system.
“The task force, using the capacities of other organizations and institutions, monitors the market of essential goods 24 hours a day and confronts hoarders across the country,” Rahimi told IRNA.
Rahimi added that reports show the reserves of essential goods are in a satisfactory state and that there is no shortage of public supply. Authorities are coordinating with customs offices to expedite the release of essential goods into the distribution system as quickly as possible.
He said that with the implementation of the policy removing preferential foreign currency, supervision over the supply chain, distribution, and pricing of goods has been intensified. 
“Responsible agencies are performing their duties with proper coordination to prevent any misuse,” Rahimi said, adding that hoarders and anyone engaging in economic manipulation that threatens public stability would be prosecuted strictly under the law.
Rahimi also said that joint inspection teams have visited more than 2,000 commercial units and warehouses, resulting in the identification and closure of several hoarding centers. Since the beginning of the year, authorities have discovered 186,000 tonnes of hoarded essential goods and arrested 879 suspects, who have been referred to judicial authorities.
He urged citizens to follow official sources for market news and avoid rumors, and encouraged them to report cases of hoarding or non-supply of goods via a police hotline. “With the cooperation of the public, we can respond faster and more effectively to economic crimes,” Rahimi said.
Separately, Zabihollah Khodaeian, head of Iran’s General Inspection Organization, criticized companies that retain foreign currency in trusts instead of supplying it for domestic use. 
Speaking at a ceremony for the appointment of the new provincial inspector in Bushehr, Khodaeian said: “Now is not the time for leniency. Any manager who refuses to supply currency must be dealt with.”
Khodaeian said the recent fluctuations