The ICCIMA report said World Bank officials attended a recent videoconference in which private sector representatives from across Iran had verified a series of reforms carried out by the Iranian government in recent years.

It said, however, that the Washington-based group had only approved reforms carried out on one economic indicator from a total of eight verified by the chamber and its regional branches.

“The World Bank… accepted to include one item out of eight reform measures in its 2021 (Doing Business) report and the rest… were either rejected or were accepted to be included in reports of the upcoming two years,” said the ICCIMA.

Iran has been critical of the World Bank and its way of examining Iran’s efforts to carry out economic reforms. Government officials and businesses have regretted that the international group and its annual reports have dampened foreign investment in Iran by ignoring genuine reforms carried out in the country.

Doing Business reports came under a fresh spotlight in August when the World Bank decided to halt their publication until issues around data collection irregularities used in compiling the reports were cleared.

“Political forces and parties are important institutions in any democratic system, and they have made great sacrifices, but they have also made many mistakes,” Abdul Mahdi said in a statement, Reuters reported. The reform of mistakes was the core of his speech.

He made his remarks as security forces were trying to push protesters back from several major bridges in Baghdad that had been occupied for days. At least 34 people were injured as security forces launched tear gas and stun grenades to try to disperse protesters still grouped near the bridges.

On Friday, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq’s senior Shia Muslim cleric, urged the country’s ruling elite to seek a peaceful way out of the crisis in which at least 280 people have died.

The prime minister appeared to strike a more conciliatory tone toward protesters, who have demanded that he step down, saying that protests are a legitimate engine of political change. At the same time he urged demonstrators not to interrupt “normal life” in the country that has been hit economically by weeks of unrest.

Tens of thousands of people have protested across the country since Oct 1. Demonstrators are demanding an overhaul of the political system and criticizing corruption in the ruling class that has dominated the country since the US-led overthrow of former dictator Saddam Hussein in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

“The protests have helped and will help pressure political groups, the government … to reform mistakes and accept change. However, continuing protests must allow for a return to normal life, which will lead to legitimate demands being met,” Abdul Mahdi said.

The protests began in Baghdad and quickly spread to the country’s southern provinces.

Abdul Mahdi also promised a ban on possession of weapons by non-state groups that have been accused of shooting demonstrators and investigations into protester deaths.

The prime minister, who announced a spate of reforms during the first wave of protests last month, added that new electoral reforms would be announced in the “coming few days”.