Government Dollar Rises to Near Three Thousand Tomans

The newspaper Jahan San'at has reported on the rise of the government dollar to the brink of three thousand tomans coinciding with the beginning of the dissolution process of the currency exchange center. The newspaper also examined the 'new challenges for Rouhani's government' following the nuclear agreement, mentioning citizen rights, opening the political space for parties, and cabinet reconstruction as some of the challenges. Jahan San'at wrote: 'During the joy and celebration following the nuclear agreement, old demands have once again become the text of slogans.' The newspaper Arman reported on the possible reopening of the British embassy in Tehran before the New Year. The newspaper Shahre Vandan reported on the 'beginning of a series of lawsuits by the former president against critics.' The newspaper Etemad quoted the first vice president of Hassan Rouhani stating that only 'four percent' of the Iranian people 'oppose the nuclear agreement.' This newspaper quoted Eshaq Jahangiri as saying: 'In one of the recent cabinet meetings, a report on post-nuclear agreement surveys from the people was presented, indicating that in these surveys conducted by reputable organizations, between 80 to 88 percent of the people are satisfied with the nuclear agreement and are happy.' The newspaper Shargh dedicated its front page to Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei and reported on 'the representatives' reactions to Mustafa Pourmohammadi's recent comments about the three-thousand-billion-toman case.' This newspaper described the Justice Minister's statements about 'Esfandiar Rahim Mashaei's significant role in the three-thousand-billion-toman case' as a late revelation, writing: 'Members of parliament were shocked to hear the news. Their main surprise is why the minister has informed so late and distantly about this important role.' Ezzat Heydarpoor, a member of parliament, told Shargh: 'My suggestion to Mr. Pourmohammadi is to publish all documents related to the correspondence and possible violations of Mr. Mashaei so that the people are informed. The people have the right to know what Mashaei's violations in the three-thousand-billion-toman embezzlement case were; any form of violation, even if it is a simple recommendation or correspondence, is still a violation and needs to be addressed.' The newspaper Shargh, while publishing new statements from Ahmad Alamolhoda, reported that the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, while supporting the actions of Sadegh Khalkhali, including his numerous executions in the early years of the revolution, said: 'Ayatollah Khalkhali's actions guaranteed the revolution.' The newspaper Etemad also reported on 'Barack Obama's strong defense of the nuclear agreement at American University in Washington.' The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, also quoted the President of the United States as saying: 'When I took office, I realized that the Bush administration had no military attack plan against Iran ready.' The newspaper Iran reported on the struggle of Iran's forests with 'saw and fire,' publishing new statistics about the number of forest fires, stating that over the past seven years, more than 11,000 fires have occurred in Iran's forests. The rise of the government dollar to the brink of three thousand tomans: The newspaper Jahan San'at reported on the rise of the government dollar to the brink of three thousand tomans coinciding with the beginning of the dissolution process of the currency exchange center. According to this newspaper, 'the Central Bank has been quietly working towards a single exchange rate for currency and has prioritized the increase of the government dollar rate in recent months, such that the dollar rate has taken an upward trend in the last three months, rising from 2808 tomans to the brink of three thousand tomans, exceeding the official dollar rate in the 94 budget.' Jahan San'at, referring to the establishment of the currency exchange center in October 2012 following the turbulence in the currency market, wrote: 'The currency exchange center began its work with a reference exchange rate of 1226 tomans, and this rate, as the government, banking, or official dollar rate, has now reached 2971 tomans, and during this time, the commodity priorities for receiving reference currency have changed repeatedly and have gradually been removed or added.' With the coming to power of Hassan Rouhani and the new team at the Central Bank, the currency exchange center and its adjusted rate were gradually forgotten, and according to Jahan San'at, 'the positive and negative waves of the nuclear negotiations have once again taken the pulse of Iran's currency market in their hands,' while 'hopes have always been that the negotiations would yield results and the dollar rate would decrease again with increased foreign exchange revenues, and the issue of adjusted rates would essentially become an unrelated topic.' Jahan San'at, referring to the statements of the officials of the eleventh government about moving towards a 'single dollar rate,' wrote: 'While everyone believed and still believes that this single currency rate system, given the government's approach to the parallel market and the hope for nuclear openings, should be lower than the parallel market rate, statistics and realities indicate otherwise,' such that 'the Central Bank is officially moving towards the free market rate and intends to bring the official currency rate to the free market rate, effectively implementing the single currency rate system by legitimizing the parallel currency market rate.' This newspaper emphasized that 'in recent months, the Central Bank has quietly increased the currency rate, to the point that according to recently published statistics, with the official dollar rate reaching around 2970 tomans, the only difference between the official currency rate and the parallel market is estimated to be about 320 tomans,' adding that 'according to the latest government plan, the currency exchange center will be dissolved with the establishment of the currency exchange market. Therefore, in the near future, we should expect the transfer of price boards from Istanbul Square to the glass hall of Hafez.' The possibility of reopening the British embassy in Tehran before the New Year: The newspaper Arman reported on the possible reopening of the British embassy in Tehran before the New Year. Abbasali Mansouri Arani, a member of parliament and head of the Iran-UK parliamentary friendship group, told the newspaper Arman: 'It seems that the British government is accelerating its approach to reopening the embassy, and probably this embassy will start working before the New Year.' This member of the National Security and Foreign Policy Commission of the ninth parliament also stated: 'Since the UK's positions during the negotiations have been positive, and on the other hand, the discussions between Mr. Cameron and Mr. Rouhani and the discussions between Mr. Hammond and Mr. Zarif are evaluated as positive negotiations, in addition, next month a team of traders from this country is expected to enter Iran, although members of the UK Foreign Office will accompany this team, even if unofficially, the issue will be examined informally.' The newspaper Arman also referred to the meeting of the Iranian chargé d'affaires in London with the UK Deputy Foreign Minister, stating: 'After two years of the eleventh government's term, the murmurs about the imminent reopening of the embassies of Iran and the UK have not yet materialized, but on Wednesday, the Iranian chargé d'affaires in the UK met with the deputy minister of that country, during which the reopening of the embassies was once again discussed.' According to this newspaper, 'during the meeting between Mohammad Hassan Habibollahzadeh, the chargé d'affaires of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the UK, and Tobias Ellwood, the UK Deputy Foreign Minister, the outlook for cooperation, bilateral issues, and regional matters were discussed.' The Iranian chargé d'affaires in London emphasized during this meeting that 'in light of recent developments, many European and Asian governments are seeking to develop long-term economic and trade cooperation with the Islamic Republic of Iran through diplomatic visits and sending economic delegations.' The newspaper Arman wrote that Mohammad Hassan Habibollahzadeh expressed hope for the reopening of the embassies of the two countries in the near future, emphasizing the need to create the necessary grounds for advancing Iran-UK relations, while Tobias Ellwood, the UK Deputy Foreign Minister, welcomed the nuclear agreement and its effective role in creating a common understanding for constructive cooperation and interactions in bilateral and Middle Eastern issues, stating: 'The long-standing relations between the UK and Iran have considerable potential, and this country is eager to resolve the remaining issues as soon as possible and to begin serious discussions on bilateral matters.' This newspaper noted that 'four years have passed since the closure of the British embassy in Tehran,' recalling that the attack and entry of 'a group into the British embassy in Tehran led to a cooling of relations between the two countries, and in a reciprocal action, the British government also closed the Iranian embassy in London, leading to a suspension of diplomatic relations.' The project of serial lawsuits by the former president against Rouhani's government officials: The newspaper Shahre Vandan reported on 'the beginning of a series of lawsuits by the former president against critics.' Saba Shardoust wrote in this newspaper: 'It seems that the era of Ahmadinejad's complaints has come to an end; he has initiated a new chapter of political-judicial behavior under the title of lawsuits against defamers. His first defendant was Eshaq Jahangiri, and now the lawyer of the former president has stated that Mohammad Ashrafi Isfahani, the head of the preliminary committee for examining the violations of the presidential institution, will also be prosecuted.' Adel Heydari, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's lawyer, emphasized that the lawsuit against Mohammad Ashrafi Isfahani after the lawsuit against Eshaq Jahangiri 'is not the end of the matter and lawsuits will continue,' stating: 'The letters from the General Inspection Organization regarding the submission of documents by Mohammad Ashrafi Isfahani have gone unanswered, and it is obvious that this lack of response from Mr. Ashrafi Isfahani, who is in charge of the preliminary committee for examining the violations of the presidential institution, has no meaning other than the absence of even the smallest positive evidence for the published falsehoods, and therefore we will file a lawsuit against Mr. Ashrafi Isfahani on charges of defamation and dissemination of falsehoods with the intent to disturb public opinion.' However, Mohammad Ashrafi Isfahani, in response to the news of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's lawsuit, stated: 'We have a complete response to these lawsuits, which we will present at the appropriate time, and we are ready to show the necessary documents in court sessions.' The head of the preliminary committee for administrative violations of the presidential institution also stated: 'After the people's victory in the 2013 elections and the recent agreement, they are looking for baseless and false excuses to sour the people's taste on the eve of the parliamentary and Assembly of Experts elections and cover up their past mistakes,' but 'Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his associates should know that with these maneuvers, they will not get anywhere, and the judiciary is reviewing their cases, and at the right time, all their violations will be addressed.' The newspaper Shahre Vandan emphasized that 'some analysts also believe that Ahmadinejad has launched a project to protect himself and his close circle by filing these lawsuits,' writing: 'Mohammad Reza Rahimi, the former first vice president, is currently in prison due to financial corruption, and suing Eshaq Jahangiri, as the current first vice president, can somewhat retaliate against this issue. This is something that recently Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the government spokesman, also referred to in his press conference, stating that some in the previous government are trying to equate individuals with the officials of this government.' Ali Tajernia, a reformist figure and former member of parliament, told the newspaper Shahre Vandan: 'The government that claimed integrity has witnessed the highest rates of embezzlement. Therefore, the former president is trying to present a victimized image of himself by filing lawsuits to influence part of his supporters.' On the other hand, Ahmadinejad, understanding this issue, is trying to protect individuals in his government who are under suspicion by raising new issues to sideline them. Sadegh Zibakalam, a political science professor at Tehran University, also told the newspaper Shahre Vandan: 'The lawsuit is Ahmadinejad's new strategy for returning to the political arena. Ahmadinejad is trying to create an atmosphere that portrays him as a victim, and if he constantly files lawsuits, it will be perceived in public opinion that he has been wronged, which has forced him to sue others.' This newspaper also quoted Sadegh Zibakalam as saying: 'In developed countries, if someone files a lawsuit and it turns out to be unfounded, the individual is fined, meaning they must pay the court costs, but in Iran, it is not like that, and therefore individuals can sue whenever they want, whether with reason or without. This is interpreted as a lawsuit for Ahmadinejad being a free stone, a free sparrow.' A survey presented in the cabinet; opponents of the nuclear agreement are 4 percent, supporters are 88 percent: The newspaper Etemad reported, quoting the first vice president of Hassan Rouhani, that only 'four percent' of the Iranian people 'oppose the nuclear agreement.' According to this newspaper, the 'four percent opponents' is a title that the first vice president of Hassan Rouhani 'attributes to the critics of the nuclear agreement these days based on a recent government survey. Critics who Eshaq Jahangiri says should not speak in a way that suggests they represent all the people of Iran.' The newspaper Etemad quoted Eshaq Jahangiri as saying: 'In one of the recent cabinet meetings, a report on post-nuclear agreement surveys from the people was presented, indicating that in these surveys conducted by reputable organizations, between 80 to 88 percent of the people are satisfied with the nuclear agreement and are happy.' According to this newspaper, the assistant of Hassan Rouhani emphasized that 'in this survey, the number of those who opposed the nuclear agreement was four percent, and therefore those who intend to represent this four percent of opponents should only represent that four percent and should not speak in a way that suggests this four percent represents all the people of Iran.' Eshaq Jahangiri referred to the 'nuclear agreement' as 'a great success for the Iranian nation.'