Nobakht: We Have No Restrictions with America on Economic Issues

Mohammad Baqer Nobakht, the spokesperson for Rouhani's government, said in an interview with the Al-Alam news network on Sunday, "We have no restrictions with America on economic issues." He added, "Our political relations with this country are defined and require fundamental changes in their policies, but regarding economic issues, we have no restrictions, although the priority is more in the area of investment and importing modern technology." These remarks come as Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh, Iran's Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade, officially announced a ban on the import of American consumer goods in November. Despite the lifting of sanctions related to the nuclear program, the U.S. has stated that other sanctions related to "terrorism" and human rights against Iran remain in place. Nobakht also defended the government's policy regarding signing contracts and memorandums of understanding with France and Italy, adding, "Just as Iran has agreed with France to purchase airplanes from Airbus, an agreement with Boeing in the future is not out of reach." The spokesperson for Hassan Rouhani's government announced the release of over $100 billion of Iran's blocked assets following the implementation of the JCPOA and the lifting of some sanctions. According to Nobakht, the government will only allocate about $6 to $7 billion of this amount to the government. Iranian media reported that Nobakht emphasized that this amount has now been fully released since the implementation of the JCPOA on January 16. He then explained that these assets are in the form of currency, with part belonging to the government, part to the Central Bank reserves, part to the National Development Fund, and another part to banks and state-owned companies. According to ISNA news agency, Nobakht announced the government's share of this amount as "only six to seven billion dollars" and stated that the majority of the released assets belong to the Central Bank and the National Development Fund. The government spokesperson also mentioned that some of this amount needs to be transferred inside, while the rest will be kept in accounts abroad, similar to how oil revenues are deposited in government accounts abroad, and will be used in banking transactions from there. The amount of money released by Iran and who will receive this amount and what it will be spent on has been a topic of much discussion in both the U.S. and within Iran. Inside Iran, conservative opponents of the government have accused it of using these financial resources for importing consumer goods and opening the way for Western "influence" in Iran, referencing remarks by Ayatollah Khamenei since the implementation of the JCPOA. These attacks have intensified following Rouhani's recent trip to Italy and France and the signing of economic contracts and memorandums, including the purchase of Airbus airplanes. For instance, according to the newspaper "Arman," Mehdi Koochakzadeh, a conservative member of parliament, stated in the parliament on Sunday, "In these circumstances where people are in trouble, should we spend several billion dollars to buy airplanes?" A few days earlier, Mohammad Reza Naqdi, head of the Foundation of the Oppressed, described Rouhani's recent agreements in Paris and Rome as "a dagger in the body of the resistance economy." In this context, police "prevented" a gathering of Basij forces in front of the Ministry of Oil. Rouhani returned to Tehran after his trip to Italy and France, where Iran and France signed a contract for the purchase of 118 Airbus airplanes.