PHOTO: Iran’s Parliament, the Majlis
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- Supreme Leader’s Top Aide: Assad Regime Won “Mini-World War”
- Oil Minister: No Freeze Until Production Reaches 4 Million Barrels Per Day
Iran’s Parliament has approved a two-month emergency plan to ensure the Government can operate until the 2016-2017 budget can be presented and endorsed.
The Government’s budget is usually tabled by December, but it was delayed this year by the move towards implementation of the July 15 nuclear deal — finally confirmed in mid-January — and by Parliamentary elections.
Some hardline and conservative MPs had sniped at the Government’s economic plans and the delay in submission, but in the end there was no serious challenge to the emergency funding.
With the nuclear agreement confirmed and the start of the removal of US-led sanctions, President Rouhani’s priority is the recovery of the Iranian economy. Inflation has been reduced from more than 40% in August 2013, when Rouhani took office, to less than 15%.
However, growth is still stagnant, and Iran is still challenged by difficulties with investment, production, and a weak currency. The country also faces the hindrance of a global oil price which has fallen by 75% since summer 2014.
The Government is hoping to attract multi-billion dollars deals in trade and foreign investment, including in the energy sector, but some hardliners and elements within the regime — including the Revolutionary Guards — are wary of increased Western involvement.
Supreme Leader’s Top Aide: Assad Regime Won “Mini-World War”
The Supreme Leader’s top aide, Ali Akbar Velayati, has declared a glorious triumph for the Assad regime in Syria’s civil war.
Meeting Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Feisal al-Mikdad on Tuesday, Velayati said, “Although a lot of damage has been inflicted on Syria, this country stood up against these serious acts of aggression which constitute a mini-world war and emerged victorious.”
Velayati, a former Foreign Minister, said “the region could have faced a different situation” had Iran, Syria, Iraq, and Hezbollah failed to cooperate with each other.
He not only omitted Russia from the list but made no reported reference to Moscow’s decision to withdraw forces from Syria.
Oil Minister: No Freeze Until Production Reaches 4 Million Barrels Per Day
Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh has reportedly said that Iran will not cooperate with any other countries on a freeze of oil production until Tehran’s output recovers to 4 million barrels per day.
Zanganeh made the statement to visiting Russian counterpart Alexander Novak on Monday.
Last month, after Russia and Saudi Arabia agreed in principle to reduced production because of the sharp fall in the global oil price, ministers of three other OPEC countries travelled to Tehran to get Iran’s assent.
However, Iranian officials rejected the approach, saying that the Islamic Republic needed to rebuild production and exports following years of US-led sanctions.
Zanganeh repeated yesterday, “As long as daily production of Iranian oil does not reach 4 million barrels, we will not cooperate on any oil freeze plan.”
Iran’s production in 2012, before the effect of US and European sanctions, was 4.2 million barrels per day. Output fell by about a third between 2012 and 2015.