Identification of $35 Billion Traced in the UAE

The newspaper Shargh reported on a confidential meeting between the government and parliament to track the unknown fate of $35 billion in oil money and the "traces of $35 billion blocked in the UAE." The newspaper Hamshahri, referring to the Central Bank's plan to "single-rate the currency," quoted Valiollah Seif, the head of the Central Bank, as saying that the currency will be single-rate in the near future. The newspaper Arman reported under the headline "Report of a Non-Sporting Gathering in Front of the Ministry of Sports" that "Ansar Hezbollah protested against the potential entry of women to watch the Iran vs. USA volleyball match on Wednesday in front of the Ministry of Sports and Youth." This newspaper also reported: "While the Volleyball Federation had announced that a limited number of women could attend the Iran-USA match with special identification cards, it was announced on Wednesday that the entry of all women to the 12,000-seat Azadi Stadium is prohibited." The newspaper Javan, close to the Revolutionary Guards, dedicated the front page of its Thursday issue to the "Tehran tour" of the members of the US national volleyball team, describing it as part of the "public diplomacy" of Hassan Rouhani's government to "normalize relations with the US." The newspaper Aftab Yazd has a front-page report on reactions to "insults to the government and the nuclear negotiation team" during the funeral of Iranian divers killed in Operation Karbala 4, stating: "I wish they wouldn't exploit the martyrs." This newspaper recalled that on Tuesday, "the widespread presence of people at the martyrs' ceremony was exploited by a group of worried individuals. They attempted through various means and by distributing placards to associate their concerns with the countless people's presence, hijacking the martyrs' funeral for their own purposes." The newspaper Etemad, on its front page, wrote "Retreating for the Sake of Agreement": "As nuclear negotiations intensify, comments regarding the most important legal, technical, and political negotiations in the West have also intensified. On the other hand, key players such as John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, and Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, have also come to the main stage to reduce the impact of distractions and bring two years of negotiations to a successful conclusion by the set deadline." Sara Masoumi in Etemad emphasized that "John Kerry, the US Secretary of State, who is still recovering from an injury sustained during a cycling accident, has made very clear comments in recent days, often within the framework of efforts to conclude negotiations by June 30." The confidential meeting of the government and parliament regarding the Niko company; "Identification of $35 billion traces in the UAE" The newspaper Shargh reported on a confidential meeting between the government and parliament to track the unknown fate of $35 billion in oil money and the "traces of $35 billion blocked in the UAE." This newspaper noted that several days ago, Akbar Turkan, a senior assistant to the President, stated that the government became aware "before Nowruz 94 that $35 billion of the Central Bank's deposits are with the Niko company." As a result, the government "took action and consulted with the Budget and Planning Commission of the parliament in this regard, and a confidential meeting was held in the commission where government officials reported the identification of Niko's debts to the Ministry of Oil." Ismail Jalili told Shargh that "various numbers and classifications" were reported in this confidential meeting and "the focus was not on the number $35 billion," but this member of the Budget and Planning Commission of the ninth parliament reported "identified traces of financial resources related to this debt in the UAE and described this case as similar to the Babak Zanjani case" with the difference that the Niko company did not deliberately try to prevent the money from returning to the country, but there are many doubts about Babak Zanjani's intentions and issues surrounding his case. This parliament member stated that the amount mentioned regarding the Niko company is related to the production and sale process of "gas, oil, and condensates" and pointed out the similarities between the transfers to the Niko company and the oil sales process by Babak Zanjani, stating that the Niko company case is also "part of the same process; with the difference that Zanjani's debt is estimated at 2.4 billion euros and this debt is $35 billion, which shows a significant numerical difference." Ismail Jalili, while rejecting that the cases of the Niko company and Babak Zanjani are "intertwined," told Shargh that regarding the Niko company, "there is a separate process, but the processes are similar in that a commitment has been made and not repaid," and of course, "in Zanjani's case, as other representatives have repeatedly emphasized, a network of relationships was involved, and the name Zanjani is a code name for a network, not just one person. Furthermore, the Niko company has undertaken a series of actions, but its intention was not to let this level of debt arise; however, in Zanjani's case, the path was different, and Zanjani himself is in prison for that reason." This member of the Budget and Planning Commission emphasized that "the Niko company did not proceed with the intention of not doing the work, but rather sanctions and mismanagement contributed to this debt arising and the money remaining in limbo," stating: "Ultimately, legally, the responsibility for this work rests with the Niko company, and it must pay overdue debts to the Ministry of Oil," adding that "the main question in the Babak Zanjani case is whether there is any money at all or if we are being fooled. Regarding the Niko company case, reports are under review, and none of them are definitive, and it cannot be said with certainty what the numbers are." Ismail Jalili pointed out that regarding the Niko company's debt, "traces have been identified in the UAE, and these amounts must be returned," stating that soon individuals will travel to several countries on behalf of the judiciary for this case. The newspaper Shargh emphasized: "Besides this $35 billion, it should not be forgotten that the previous government's debt to other banks was also about $12 billion, and in total, the previous government incurred $47 billion in debt for the Ministry of Oil." Ameneh Shirafkan, a reporter for Shargh, reminded that the newspaper's follow-ups indicate that "the government reached clues about this issue in 93, and details of it were shared with representatives of the Budget and Planning Commission; in a meeting that is now emphasized to be confidential by the budget committee." The Niko company, a subsidiary of the Iranian Oil Company but based in Switzerland, has created a complex situation for the return of $35 billion of funds held by this company to Iran, a company that has many important oil-related missions and responsibilities, including the import of gasoline and diesel, the sale of a large portion of Iran's crude oil, and the swap of Iranian oil. Shargh noted that the Niko company "was established in 1991 in Jersey, England, and its headquarters was moved to Lausanne in 2003," stating: "In 2012, Niko was sanctioned by the United States, and the US Treasury named Niko as the main operator of circumventing sanctions." The head of the Central Bank: Currency will soon be single-rate The newspaper Hamshahri, referring to the Central Bank's plan to "single-rate the currency," quoted Valiollah Seif, the head of the Central Bank, as saying that the currency will be single-rate in the near future. The head of the Central Bank stated that the condition for this action is "the establishment of sufficient international banking connections and the ability of the Central Bank to maneuver regarding the transfer of currency resources," and Hamshahri wrote: "Seif's implicit reference to the possibility of freeing the Iranian economy from the dual official and free exchange rate with the removal of obstacles caused by foreign sanctions." This newspaper noted that in a meeting with a German economic and trade delegation, Valiollah Seif stated that the stability prevailing in the country’s market over the past two years has been due to "the logical behaviors of the government and the precise financial discipline exercised by the Central Bank will be pursued more seriously to create a better environment for foreign investment." Hamshahri recalled that "the government’s economic team, led by the head of the Central Bank, had previously promised that the currency rate would be single-rate in 93, but with the failure of nuclear negotiations, they changed the timeline for fulfilling their promise." This newspaper mentioned "the reduction of the gap between the official and free currency in recent months and expectations for the opening of the international space" as some of the reasons for the government's optimism about implementing the single-rate currency plan, stating that the government hopes that "access to Iran's currencies will become easier and Iran's banking transactions with other countries will improve." However, Hamshahri emphasized that "some consider the possibility of a single-rate currency in the coming months to be dim and believe that the possibility of moving towards unifying the currency rate will become more serious towards the end of this year." According to this newspaper, "monthly indicators from the Central Bank show that the value of each US dollar, as one of the important currencies, has seen a 7.7% increase in the domestic market at the end of Farvardin 94 compared to Farvardin of the previous year. Meanwhile, each euro has faced a 15.2% decline." Hamshahri also quoted Valiollah Seif regarding currency fluctuations, stating: "In the past two years, the range of currency fluctuations in Iran has decreased by about 60%. Meanwhile, in a one-year financial period, the exchange rate of the dollar against the rial has only increased by three percent, and our access to currency resources has been limited due to the existence of oppressive sanctions." The newspaper Hamshahri, while reviewing various governments' attempts to unify the currency and its realization during Mohammad Khatami's administration, wrote: "When the currency rate was unified after several years of being multi-rate and creating corruption in 1381 with a thousand hopes and expectations, few economic activists and experts imagined that the most important currency achievement of Iran's economy in three decades would be lost." However, in 1390, "due to pressures from sanctions and mismanagement, the dollar price in the free market increased its gap from the official market, and half-hearted measures such as distributing dollars at a reference rate of 1226 tomans and an exchange rate of 2450 tomans could not prevent the dollar from skyrocketing and turmoil in the market." This newspaper emphasized that "now the Central Bank must take a difficult and costly path to restore the lost achievement of the 80s, a path that relying on the lifting of sanctions will not smooth the way, but rather through prudent management, the lost value of the national currency can be restored and the gap between free and official currency minimized." The Ansar Hezbollah gathering and the prohibition of female spectators at the Iran-USA volleyball match The newspaper Arman reported in a report titled "Report of a Non-Sporting Gathering in Front of the Ministry of Sports" that "protesters against women's attendance at sporting events in halls held a gathering in front of the Ministry of Sports and Youth on Wednesday." This newspaper wrote: "As we get closer to the Iran-USA volleyball matches, the issue of women's presence in stadiums takes on a different hue and tone. The protesters against women's attendance at sporting events in halls held a gathering in front of the Ministry of Sports and Youth on Wednesday," demanding the prohibition of women's presence in the stadium and the dismissal of Shahindokht Molaverdi, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs. According to the newspaper Arman, while in recent days the Volleyball Federation announced that "the entry of a limited number of female spectators with special identification cards is permissible," this issue was met with a strong reaction from some factions, and the virtual space was not immune from such behaviors this week, and "Ansar Hezbollah protested on Wednesday in front of the Ministry of Sports against the presence of women in Azadi Stadium." This newspaper noted that after this gathering, "law enforcement forces were stationed at the Ministry of Sports and also at the entrance gate, and security measures were implemented in the Ministry of Sports," stating: "The protesters held noon and afternoon prayers and concluded with a statement demanding the dismissal of Molaverdi, the Vice President for Women’s Affairs, and announced that if officials fulfill their promises, the gathering on Friday at the match between Iran and the USA in the World Volleyball League in front of Azadi Stadium would be postponed; otherwise, this gathering would continue with even greater intensity." The newspaper Arman noted that the World League matches began on June 7, and the Iranian team entered the competition on the 10th of this month, finishing the first round of the World League with seven points from six away matches, stating: "The International Volleyball Federation, considering the events of the previous season of the World League and the absence of women, is seeking to resolve this issue in the new season of competitions, and the officials of this federation believe that conditions should be created for Iranian women to watch the matches as well, adding that "the failure to achieve this could lead to the cancellation of Iran's hosting of international volleyball competitions." This newspaper emphasized that as the Iranian volleyball team is set to host the USA in its first home match of the World League season on Friday, "the closer we get to the match day, the reactions to the presence of women take on a different color and tone." The newspaper Arman also reported: "While the Volleyball Federation had announced in recent days that a limited number of women with special identification cards could attend the Iran-USA match, it was announced on Wednesday that the entry of all women to the 12,000-seat Azadi Stadium is prohibited." The viewpoint of the newspaper close to the Revolutionary Guards; the Tehran tour of American volleyball players goes beyond volleyball.