Compulsory Sales of Oil and Medicine to Iran is a Disaster
IRAN NEWS ECONOMIC DESK
TEHRAN – An outspoken economist and Al-Zahra University teacher believes compulsory sales of medicines and food to Iran by other countries is a disaster and Iran’s request for getting loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a mistake.
Speaking to ILNA, Hossein Raghfar said that while near $20b of national forex has flown out of the country in a big corruption current and nobody is ready to answer it, today the government stretches its hands to get loans from the IMF and international bodies.
He said getting foreign loans especially conditional ones will create problems for the country, adding that any conditional loan at this stage will create serious and massive problems for the country. He further said that since the imposed Iraqi war, these problems have always existed in the national economy, have grown and created serious restrictions for policy-makers.
Raghfar added that getting loan at this stage is a disaster, noting that in a big corruption current some $20b has been taken out of the country and nobody is ready to answer it while today the country has stretched its hands for getting $5b loan from international bodies.
He said the loan will create problems and obligations for the next governments, and without any doubt, IMF or international bodies will set conditions for paying loans to Iran and the money should be spent in activities which are not sanctioned. He further said the loan will be actually allocated for import of food and medicines and it will help mafias in this sector and will not meet the national interests.
Raghfar said there are some doubts over issuing license for granting loans and if they are granted, it would be conditional. He noted the loan actually would serve the industries of the donating countries in order to save their food and medicine sectors in their current economic condition and it will be a disaster for Iran.
He also questioned the government’s supportive package for the Coronavirus affected sectors, reiterating that comparing government’s supportive package with other countries like the U.S. and Canada is also a mistake.
Raghfar said that supportive packages in other countries like the U.S. and Canada are not as it is said and it is not true because people in other countries have faced some restrictions in getting such packages.
He said unfortunately some people exaggerate about the U.S. and Canada’s supportive packages and it is not true and it is just media hype to reduce psychological pressure from the country.
