Minister Archives - Iran News Daily

Over 6 Million Rise Out of Poverty in Iran: Minister

mahla — Tue, 28 May 2024 21:33:43 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) –Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Ehsan Khandouzi said the administration’s initiatives have lifted up 6.5 million Iranians out of poverty in the past few years.

Citing a recent report from the World Bank, he said Iran’s economic growth during the past four years has reached a stable stage and has become “resilient”.

In a report released in April, the World Bank said Iran’s economic growth has proven resilient over the past four years, despite the ongoing economic sanctions.

While Iran’s economy has benefitted from improved oil sector growth, the non-oil sector, notably services and manufacturing, has been the main driver of growth, it said.

According to the World Bank, poverty in Iran has declined as the economy has recovered between 2020/21 and 2022/23.

“Over two years, poverty as measured at the US $6.85 poverty line, declined by a cumulative 7.4 percentage points to 21.9 percent in 2022/23, meaning an estimated 6.5 million (Iranian) people were lifted out of poverty,” the World Bank said.

“A combination of increased wages, an increase in self-employed earnings, and a top-up to the national cash-transfer program contributed to the growth in consumption and the corresponding reduction in poverty,” the report said about Iran.

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Minister Emphasizes Developing Economic Cooperation With Mauritius

mahla — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 19:40:38 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance (MEAF) emphasized developing cooperation between Iran and Republic of Mauritius in the fields of trade and economy.

Speaking in his meeting with visiting Mauritius’ Minister of Labor, Human Resource Development and Training Soodesh Satkam Callichurn in Tehran on Sunday evening, Seyyed Ehsan Khandouzi Iran’s Minister of Economy, while welcoming the other side’s view of developing cooperation and mutual investment, expressed readiness of Iran for investing and establishing cooperation with the Republic of Mauritius in the field of advanced technologies of pharmaceutical industry and nanotechnology.

Khandouzi also announced the agreement of Iran to boost mutual cooperation in order to ensure food security between the two countries given the Ukraine war and also development of investment by Iranian side in the Republic of Mauritius in the field of building construction and supply of construction materials to this African state.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Iranian minister called Mauritius as gateway of financial transactions in South Africa and emphasized the will of the country to strengthen cooperation and financial transactions with south African countries.

It is hoped that formation of joint economic commission between Iran and Mauritius would further increase bilateral trade, Kahndouzi added.

Mauritius’ Minister, for his part, emphasized the serious will of his country for expansion of trade and economic cooperation with Iran.

The high-ranking trade delegation from Mauritius traveled to Iran on Sunday to explore ways of expanding trade relations between the two countries

Meanwhile earlier Iran’s Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Mauritius’ Economic Development Board (EDB) to cooperate on facilitating economic exchanges between the two countries.

The MOU was signed on the sidelines of an Iran-Mauritius business forum held at the convention hall of Tehran Permanent International Fairgrounds, the TPO portal reported.

The event was attended by senior officials from the two countries including Mauritius’ Minister of Labor, Human Resource Development and Training Soodesh Satkam Callichurn, Iranian Chargé d’Affaires in Mauritius Hassan Ali Bakhshi, Iran’s Deputy Industry, Mining, and Trade Minister Mohammad-Sadeq Mofateh, and Director-General of TPO’s Africa Office Mohammad-Sadeq Qanadzadeh.

As reported, some of the main goals of the mentioned MOU include creating a practical framework for joint cooperation between the two countries in various fields, promotion of investment-making with a focus on sectors such as engineering, agricultural processing, medicine, health care, ports and logistics, information and communication technology, construction, hoteling, education and breeding, industry and cinema, etc.

The MOU is also aimed at promoting mutual trade between the private sectors of the two sides considering the potentials and export capabilities of the parties in the agricultural, industrial, and mineral sectors.

It also emphasizes the exchange of information about export opportunities, resources, incentives, and support services between the two countries, as well as facilitating activities related to information gathering and market research.

Facilitating the formation of joint investment projects between private and public sectors of Mauritius and the Islamic Republic of Iran, technology transfer, and technical knowledge exchange between the two countries, especially in the fields of agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, processing of agricultural products, medicine, and medical equipment as well as construction industry were also reported to be among the issues covered in the said MOU.

During the gathering, the two sides underlined the significance of the event as a platform for promoting cooperation between the two countries in the commercial, economic, and tourism sectors and expressed hope that both sides will be able to benefit from each other’s facilities in future collaborations.

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No 10 Orders Investigation into Ex-PM’s Lobbying of Ministers

mahla — Tue, 13 Apr 2021 10:06:57 +0000

TEHRAN (Iran News) – Prime Minister Boris Johnson ordered an independent investigation into former PM David Cameron’s controversial lobbying of ministers for the collapsed financier Lex Greensill.

A leading lawyer will probe “how business representatives engaged with government” in discussions over supply chain finance and how contracts were awarded, No 10 announced, The Independent reported.

The move comes amid a storm of criticism of the former prime minister after he directly lobbied Chancellor Rishi Sunak, including by text, to give Greensill a role in the government’s COVID-19 loan scheme.

At the weekend it emerged he had also organised a “private drink” with the Health Secretary Matt Hancock, with at least four ministers contacted.

Downing Street said Johnson had launched the independent review because he recognised the “significant interest” in the controversy.

“The prime minister has called for the review to ensure government is completely transparent about such activities and that the public can see for themselves if good value was secured for taxpayers’ money,” his spokesman noted, adding, “This independent review will also look at how contracts were secured and how business representatives engaged with government.”

The inquiry will be led by Nigel Boardman, an award-winning lawyer who is also a non-executive board member at the business department – a post he is expected to leave.

No 10 promised he would have “access to the documents that he needs”, but was unable to say if he would have legal powers to secure evidence or be able to recommend changes to lobbying rules.

In further unanswered questions, it was also unclear whether the inquiry would include the behaviour of ministers and whether there had been any breaches of the ministerial code.

No 10 declined to say whether Johnson supported a toughening of the rules, arguing it did not want to “close off avenues while Boardman is starting his work”.

Labour was quick to attack an investigation which “has all the hallmarks of another cover-up by the Conservatives”.

“Just as with the inquiry into Priti Patel’s alleged bullying, this is another Conservative government attempt to push bad behaviour into the long grass and hope the British public forgets,” said Rachel Reeves, the Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

“We need answers on Greensill now – that means key players in this cronyism scandal like David Cameron, Rishi Sunak and Matt Hancock appearing openly in front of Parliament as soon as possible to answer questions,” Reeves added.

Earlier, another former prime minister, Gordon Brown, stated those in his position “must never” lobby government for commercial purposes and suggested those leaving No 10 should be subject to at least a five-year ban.

Cameron has conceded it was a mistake to lobby ministers informally on behalf of Greensill, but has insisted he did not break any rules.

He also noted the value of his shares in Greensill’s collapsed company was “nowhere near” the figure of up to $60 million that had been reported.

Cameron insisted he had “very little to do” with Greensill while in No 10 and met him only twice when prime minister, despite the financier describing himself as a “senior adviser”.

Official records released by the Treasury last week showed that Sunak responded to Cameron by saying he had “pushed” civil servants to explore possible options.

Cameron was lobbying for the supply-chain finance company to be allowed to access the Bank of England’s COVID Corporate Financing Facility.

The Sunday Times revealed that Cameron had emailed a senior special adviser to Johnson to complain that it was “nuts” that Greensill had been excluded and urging the government to reconsider.

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Parl. rejects dividing ministries in current situation: Larijani

reporter 1222 — Sun, 29 Jul 2018 13:45:47 +0000

The Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani has said that lawmakers in Iranian parliament are opposed to transforming the government structure and breaking up ministries in the current situation.

Larijani made the remarks at the opening of today’s public session at the Iranian Parliament.

He said that the lawmakers have opposed the two double-urgency bills to divide the Ministry of Industry, Mine and Trade as the Parliament is opposed to changing the government structure and dividing the ministries in the current situation.

Parliament speaker further stressed “the government needs to take on a different path to improve the structure of the ministries.”

Rouhani’s cabinet has recently begun rebuilding the structure of the government in a bid to tackle economic problems such as corruption and illegal financial activities in the foreign exchange market. Few days ago, the cabinet changed the governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) over the handling of sharp decline in the value of Iran national currency as well as illegal activities of the unlicensed financial institutions which have exacerbated the economic situation in the face of foreign pressures.

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Macron Security Aide Scandal Deepens with Minister under Fire

reporter 1222 — Sun, 22 Jul 2018 14:30:01 +0000

The most damaging scandal of Emmanuel Macron’s presidency deepened on Saturday with his interior minister due to face a grilling in parliament over his response to a top security aide of Mr. Macron caught on video beating up a young man at a Paris protest in May.

Opposition lawmakers have demanded that Mr. Macron, who has so far remained silent about the incident, explain the government’s stand after the videos of his aide Alexandre Benalla emerged this week.

“If Macron doesn’t explain himself the Benalla affair will become the Macron affair,” far-right leader Marine Le Pen said in a tweet.

Laurent Wauquiez, the head of the Republicans party, accused the government of “trying to camouflage a matter of state” and said Mr. Macron had to clarify the matter to the French people, AFP reported.

And far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon from the France Unbowed party called it a scandal of Watergate proportions and accused Mr. Macron of “organizing a personal militia”.

Watergate was the name of a dirty tricks scandal that led to the resignation of former US President Richard Nixon in 1974.

Mr. Benalla, 26, was initially suspended without pay but on Friday Mr. Macron fired his former security aide, who was taken into custody suspected of unlawfully receiving police surveillance footage in a bid to clear his name.

He is to face a magistrate on Sunday, Paris prosecutors said.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb has been heavily criticized over the affair, with some opposition lawmakers saying his job is on the line after press reports that he knew about Benalla’s violence.

Mr. Collomb will be publicly questioned from 10am (local time) on Monday morning by the Law Commission of the National Assembly, the head of the lower house of parliament announced.

Also on Saturday, three police officers were taken into custody suspected of providing the surveillance footage to Mr. Benalla. They, too, will go before a magistrate on Sunday.

They were accused of “misappropriation of images from a video surveillance system”, as well as a “violation of professional secrets”, the prosecutor’s office said.

The Paris police prefecture said the footage was “improperly disclosed to a third party on the evening of July 18”, the same night the newspaper Le Monde published the video that sparked the scandal.

That video, shot on a smartphone, showed Mr. Benalla wearing a riot police helmet and surrounded by officers, manhandling and striking a protester during a May 1 demonstration.

In a second video published by the newspaper late Thursday, Mr. Benalla — who has never been a policeman — is also seen violently wrestling a young woman to the ground during scuffles on a square near the Rue Mouffetard, a picturesque street in the fifth arrondissement.

The three senior officers taken into custody, who belong to the Paris department of public order and traffic, include a deputy chief of staff and a commissioner in the fifth arrondissement, as well as the commander in charge of relations between the prefecture and the Elysee Palace, said several sources close to the case.

Mr. Benalla’s home in the southwestern suburbs of Paris was raided on Saturday.

Vincent Crase, a security aide for Macron’s Republic on the Move party and an associate of Mr. Benalla’s who also intervened during the May protest, was also taken into custody on Friday.

The Paris prosecutor’s office said on Saturday that the custody of both Mr. Benalla and Mr. Crase had been extended by 24 hours.

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Parliament assessing impeachment of some ministers: Aref

reporter 1222 — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 05:30:47 +0000

Mohammad Reza Aref, chairman of the pro-reform Hope faction in the parliament, said on Wednesday that the parliament is assessing the impeachment of some economic ministers, urging President Rouhani to make changes to his economic team.

“The view of the Hope faction is that the president do some actions to promote the competence of the government’s economic team, however, if under any reasons the president does not see it expedient the Majlis will do its duty and now some impeachments are under study,” Aref told a press conference.

He added, “We need more serious actions in the economic team of the government.”

He said 200 lawmakers have signed a letter urging Rouhani to shake up his economic team, IRNA reported.

He said Rouhani’s efforts to resolve the country’s economic issues is “visible”, adding though the government is “facing numerous problems, we believe that the president is capable of resolving the issues.”

The lawmaker dismissed rumors that his parliamentary faction is seeking to impeach the president, saying, “We might someday wish to ask question from the president but impeachment is not on our agenda at all.”

Since U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the 2015 nuclear agreement and announced a reimposition of sanctions on Iran, prices of gold coin and foreign currencies have increased greatly, affecting prices of other commodities in the country.

Trump has also asked other countries to stop their purchases of the Iranian oil by November otherwise they face secondary sanctions.

Iranian officials have vowed to disappoint the U.S. through reliance on local capacities. Since the U.S. exit from the nuclear deal, top officials have held several meetings to address the country’s economic issues.

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Iranian Tank ‘Karrar’ Ready for Use

reporter 1222 — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 14:30:31 +0000

TEHRAN – Iranian homegrown military tank Karrar is ready to be in service, Defense Minister Brigadier General Amir Hatami said.

In an interview with Tasnim on Tuesday, the defense minister said Karrar is ready to be delivered to the Iranian armed forces.

Karrar, a class of Iranian tanks with modern technologies, was unveiled in March.

Iran’s former defense minister, Brigadier General Hossein Dehqan, had described Karrar as one of the most advanced tanks in the world that can fully satisfy the needs of the country’s armed forces.

The tank is equipped with an electro-optical fire control system, laser rangefinders, and a ballistic computer.

Iranian military experts and technicians have in recent years made great headways in manufacturing a broad range of indigenous equipment, making the armed forces self-sufficient in the arms sphere.

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Iranian Minister Heads for Malaysia to Attend WIEF

reporter 1222 — Mon, 20 Nov 2017 17:02:45 +0000

TEHRAN – Iran’s Minister of Communication and Information Technology Mohammad Javad Azari Jahromi left the country for Malaysia to attend the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF), due to open in the Southeast Asian country tomorrow.

Heading a banking and trade delegation, Azari Jahromi left Tehran for Kuala Lumpur on Monday to participate in the 13th edition of the WIEF that will be held in the Malaysian state of Sarawak from November 21 to 23.

Speaking before his departure for the forum, Azari Jahromi said that on the sidelines of the international event, he plans to pursue the issue of establishing direct banking ties between Iran and Malaysia.

In recent years, Iran and Malaysia have ramped up efforts to boost bilateral relations in all political and economic fields.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, who visited Malaysia during a tour of Southeast Asia in October last year, said at the time that Tehran and Kuala Lumpur are resolved to restore their bilateral relations to pre-sanctions levels and then promptly double it.

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Iranian, Armenian culture ministers meet in Tehran

reporter 1222 — Wed, 18 Oct 2017 06:45:34 +0000

TEHRAN – Iran’s Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Seyyed Abbas Salehi and Armenia’s Minister of Culture Armen Amirian met in Tehran on Tuesday to discuss the expansion of art and cultural relations.

Salehi pointed to the high potential of Iranian artists in different arena including cinema, music and theater, and stressed that art and cultural collaboration can lead to increased cooperation between the two countries, the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance announced.

Amirian also called the meeting a good opportunity to deepen cultural and media relations.

He said that the Armenian film weeks held in Iran several times have had respectable impacts in his country and expressed his hope that such events would continue to evolve.

He also said that he has watched several Iranian films and have enjoyed the films, calling Iranian filmmakers very professional.

The minister said that Armenian cineastes can also make use of the potentials through exchanging experiences and making joint productions with Iran.

He also proposed that Iranian and Armenian orchestras give joint performances in the two countries in the future.

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French govt. supports JCPOA

reporter 1222 — Sun, 15 Oct 2017 15:00:57 +0000

TEHRAN – While stressing the obligation of the government of France to remain committed to JCPOA, the Finance Minister of the country announced the government’s determination to develop economic ties with Iran.

The Finance Minister of France Bruno Le Maire made the remarks in a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Karbasian. He pointed to his previous visits of Iran, saying that he is quite familiar with the country.

Le Maire put emphasis on Iran’s positive steps to create financial transparency, and called on the country to reach a certain level of international standards regarding the issue. The French official held that transparency in the banking system is an essential factor in expanding economic interactions and voiced the readiness of his country to cooperate in this area.

Iran’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Finance, for his part, expressed the country’s preparedness to cooperate in various fields, while noting the increase in bilateral ties between the two nations.

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