حمید کمار

For decades, debates surrounding the drivers of inflation and exchange rate fluctuations in Iran's economy have persisted. Despite this, a well-established and widely accepted theory among economists exists to explain long-term inflation. This study aims to demonstrate that natural resource rents, particularly oil rents, have partially bridged the aggregate demand-supply gap in the commodity market and the excess money supply gap during periods of increased real oil exports, primarily driven by favorable terms of trade for Iran. Consequently, this leads to two outcomes: first, inflation rates are lower than those implied by monetary theory, and second, exchange rate appreciation is less than what predicted by monetary theory. Preliminary findings suggest that these two claims are plausible. Indeed, the core contribution of this study lies in providing a theoretical explanation and empirical analysis of the impact of oil rents on taming inflation and stabilizing exchange rates in Iran, consistent with established macroeconomic frameworks.