Rouhani: We Must Gain the Trust of Domestic and Foreign Investors

Hassan Rouhani, the President of Iran, on Tuesday, July 8, stated that "we need to grow investment," adding, "To achieve this goal, we must gain the trust of domestic and foreign investors." Rouhani emphasized the importance of investment, saying, "In these circumstances, by attracting capital and technology, we can create jobs for young people. Our biggest goal in the JCPOA was to create suitable conditions in the country for economic prosperity and employment for our youth. Today, this goal is more achievable than yesterday, and our conditions are more prepared than before. However, the executive branch cannot carry this burden to its destination without the support and coordination of the judiciary." Following Iran's nuclear agreement with six world powers, Iranian officials have stated that despite this agreement, Tehran has not been able to benefit sufficiently from the JCPOA and have asked the U.S. to remove obstacles to dollar transactions of non-American banks with Iran. Rouhani's remarks come as the White House announced on Monday that support for terrorism and Hezbollah continues to cause problems for Iran in international markets. Eric Schultz, the White House Press Secretary, stated on Monday during a press conference in response to a question about comments made by Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, regarding financial assistance from Iran: "We have asked all those who assist Hezbollah to cut off their support. We know that Iran supports terrorism. We know that Iran supports Hezbollah, and for this reason, we have imposed severe sanctions against Iran in this regard." Many economists believe that solving Iran's economic problems does not solely depend on the executive and judicial branches. Fereydoun Khavand, an economics professor in Paris, previously wrote on Radio Farda, "One of the problems that foreign investors face in Iran is the fear of being drawn into the activities of companies affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and their satellite enterprises." The President of Iran, on Tuesday at a judiciary conference in Tehran, stated that the judiciary must report to the people regarding the case of dealing with the perpetrators and instigators of the attack on the embassy. Rouhani, without naming Saudi Arabia, said that people want to know how the actions against a foreign embassy by a group of individuals are reported to them. He emphasized that the perpetrators and instigators of this attack are well known. Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei, the spokesman for the Iranian judiciary, announced on June 26 that 48 attackers of the Saudi embassy in Tehran would be tried. In January of last year, a number of protesters against the execution of Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, a Shia cleric in Saudi Arabia, attacked the embassy and consulate of that country in Tehran and Mashhad. Following this attack, Riyadh severed diplomatic relations with Tehran.