Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 13
By Khalid Kazimov - Trend:
Spokesperson for Iranian Government Mohammad Baqer Nobakht has rejected allegations that President Hassan Rouhani's cabinet is expected to undergo changes.
It is a wrong interpretation of the president's recent remarks presumably regarding amendments in the economic system to say that the cabinet's economic members will be changed, the semi-official FARS news agency quoted Nobakht, who also heads the Management and Planning Organization as saying in a press conference Oct. 13.
Earlier on Oct. 5, Iranian ministers of economy, industry and labor as well as defense criticized the country's current economic situation through a letter addressing Rouhani.
Describing President Rouhani's economic policies as "incompatible", the ministers broke ranks to warn of a possible economic crisis because of the plunge in prices of oil and other commodities.
"If urgent action is not taken, stagnation could turn into crisis," the letter said.
Meanwhile in May 2015 President Rouhani said that if needed, "amendments" would be made to the cabinet. In turn Presidential advisor Hesamoddin Ashna also said that some ministers and governor-generals were to be replaced.
Rouhani's government in its first two years has prioritized tackling inflation, which spiked when money was printed after international sanctions were imposed because of Iran's nuclear program.
After years of recession, Iran 's economy grew by 3 percent last year, but with 25 percent of graduates unemployed and inflation still high, the recovery remains vulnerable.
Edited by CN