Tehran, Iran, June 5
By Mehdi Sepahvand -- Trend:
Just a week after starting their work in the parliament, new Iranian MPs started a surprising attack on the previous administration by divulging what they called "a series of financial disorders" from the period of former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
"Some disordered actions took place from 1383 to 1392 (2004-2013) which have left the government with a huge amount of debts," Mohammad Qassemi said at the open session of the Parliament, IRNA news agency reported June 5.
"The country's economic growth in those years is not justifiable compared to the spent resources. The economic growth has been too volatile despite huge oil incomes," the MP said.
During Ahmadinejad's presidency, Iran sold 2.3 mbpd of oil at about $80 per barrel, with an income unprecedented in the post-revolution period in Iran.
Qassemi pointed out that although the country's economic growth in that period stood at 4 to 5 percent, it did not create any jobs.
He also criticized the subsidies targeting plan for having taking twice as money as the entire country's development budget over the past five years.
The subsidies plan, which consists namely in giving a monthly cash amount of some $15 to each Iranian, was implemented in Ahmadinejad's administration and goes on today.
Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh once criticized the plan for taking in all of the country's oil revenues.