Iranian bank privatizations: another power grab?

In the past two months, the Iranian government has sold parts of Saderat, Mellat and Tejarat, three of the biggest financial institutions in the Islamic Republic. In Iran, bank privatization is accelerating. Is this part of the power grab, the conservative coup, that might have occurred during this summer’s disputed presidential election?

One might even suggest that the privatizations were even accelerated so that the Basij, the Revolutionary Guards and other entities with an interest in preserving the leadership could consolidate their power, just at the point when the conservative rule of Mahmoud Ahmedinejad came under pressure from street protesters.