Iranian lawmakers agreed on Tuesday to send a report to the Judiciary on “Covid mismanagement” by former president Hassan Rouhani for possible legal action.

The parliament packed with hardliners was always critical of Rouhani in all aspects of governance and blamed him for the economic crisis gripping the country.

Rouhani’s defenders in the media have argued that United States sanctions are the main cause of the economic crisis and the country needed to resolve its differences over the nuclear issue with the West to be able to reduce inflation, raise wages and stimulate employment.

However, Iran’s major policy issues are decided by Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and the president of the republic simply manages government operations.

The same applied to the Covid-19 pandemic when Khamenei banned the government from purchasing American and British vaccines in January, setting back the national vaccination plan for months.

Iran experienced a severe wave of the pandemic in July and August, with around 40,000 new deaths from June to mid-September. An increase in vaccinations since August has reduced the rate of new infections and deaths.