Dalga Khatinoglu, Trend Agency's Iran Service Head
After eight years of attempts to keep economic statistics hidden or release misinformation during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's presidency, Iran's new presidential administration publishes the real information about the country's economic, which is consistent with the views of economists and valuable international organizations.
Ex-President Ahmadinejad has put new job creation statistics at 7 million per 8 years, as well as 10 percent and 5.4 percent economic growth for Iranian solar years which ended in March, 2011 and in March, 2012 respectively and called the resolutions and sanctions of western countries and UN as "worthless papers".
Now, Iranian Minister of Finance and Economic Affairs Ali Tayyebnia says that Iran is at stagflation, experiencing about zero percent of GDP growth, 45 percent point-to point inflation rate and is going to face 8.5 million unemployed people in the near future.
The Stagflation is when economic growth stagnates while inflation rises.
Iranian president's deputy for planning Mohammad-Baqer Nobakht also quoted Iran's statistical center statistics on August 26, saying the country's economy shrank by 5.4 percent in the past Iranian calendar year.
According to International Monetary Fund, Iran's GDP for 2012 was negative 1.9 percent, while the country's economy is expected to decrease by 1.3 percent in 2013.
Iranian President Hassan Rohani earlier said that in average 14,000 new jobs have been created per year during Ahmadinejad's presidency.
Iranian former Petroleum Minister, Rostam Qasemi was dismissing the drop in oil production, slow progress in oil and gas projects and called the sanctions as an opportunity for the country's development, while current Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh says there was no any significant increase in gas production during last 8 years and according to OPEC statistics, Iran's oil production has decreased from 4.07 million barrels per day (mbpd) in 2005 to 2.684 mbpd in last month.
Admission of economic realities is the first step in programming the progress, which was probably admitted by Rohani Government from the beginning.