Economic reform is top of Hassan Rouhani’s agenda

Economic reform is top of Hassan Rouhani’s agenda:

"Having secured a comfortable re-election victory, Iran’s president Hassan Rouhani will almost certainly make the Iranian economy a priority. If the nuclear agreement reached with six major world powers in 2015 was the prize achievement of his first term as president, the challenge of the next four years is to convert the lifting of international sanctions into jobs, investment and growth. Since the nuclear deal came into effect, Iran has raised its oil exports and lowered inflation. But one of the laments from Tehran is the reluctance of foreign banks to follow international oil companies, aircraft makers and car manufacturers, which have begun to dip their toes in Iranian waters. This, Iranian officials maintain, is out of fear of Washington. Some US sanctions remain in place and its authorities have determinedly pursued violations to the tune of billions of dollars. “The United States, instead of encouraging these financial institutions, use[s] multi-pronged words that are actually bringing fear to the hearts of these banks,” Mr Rouhani told an American interviewer last autumn."



'via Blog this'