The Debt Market: The Key to Iran's Economy

The newspaper Donya-e-Eqtesad has introduced the 'debt market' as the 'key' to Iran's economy in 2016, stating that 'the high volume of government debts to banks and contractors has caused a decline in the flow of financial resources in the economy.' Therefore, 'we must seek a key that can unlock the flow of money in Iran.' This newspaper cites economic experts who have identified the 'debt market' as a solution to the problem, writing: 'This market will, on one hand, lead to the securitization of debts and make them priceable by the government, and on the other hand, the resources of banks will flow and be made available to the public and businesses in the form of loans.' The newspaper Etemad has dedicated the front page of its last issue of 2015 to a picture of a conversation between Hassan Rouhani and Eshaq Jahangiri in the courtyard of the presidential building, with the headline 'What are the President and Vice President saying?' It reports that the President, in his last remarks of 2015, called for the beginning of a season of friendship and the implementation of a domestic 'JCPOA 2.' This newspaper also reported that Eshaq Jahangiri, the first vice president of Hassan Rouhani, proposed a 'conversation with the head of the judiciary' to resolve the 'media ban' on Mohammad Khatami, the reformist president. The newspaper Etemad also reported on the 'decisive response of the Central Bank Governor to the skeptics of SWIFT,' quoting Valiollah Seif, the Central Bank Governor, addressing those who insist that 'SWIFT has not yet been established,' stating: 'It was just a month after the implementation of the JCPOA that SWIFT began operations for all banks,' and now 'anyone who doubts the operationalization of SWIFT can see the SWIFT room of the banks.' The newspaper Vaghaye Etefaghieh wrote on its front page about 'hope for national reconciliation' in 2016, emphasizing: 'Reconciliation among various political groups is a matter that all factions in the country stress the necessity of in the current conditions.' The newspaper Iran, in its editorial on Thursday, titled 'Nowruz as a Transnational Message of Peace and Regional Stability,' wrote: 'We can address all neighboring nations from the Nowruz podium and say that a different Middle East, free from violence and extremism, is attainable, provided that we think moderately like spring.' Abbas Salehi Amiri, the head of the National Library and Archives Organization, emphasized in the editorial of this newspaper: 'The mere presence of the mosaic of Nowruz countries cannot significantly contribute to the miracle of peace, stability, and regional convergence and overcoming forms of extremism; rather, they must intertwine with each other while maintaining independence to turn Nowruz into a meeting place for neighboring Indian, Iranian, Mesopotamian, Anatolian, Ottoman, and Arab civilizations.' The newspaper Shahrvand reported on 'the readiness of 18 institutions for the first wave of Nowruz travels,' stating: 'At the beginning of the first wave of Nowruz travels, not only are all land, air, and sea routes of the country on standby, but all related sectors are also ready to provide services to the public.' The newspaper Arman dedicated its front page to Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who, in a 'letter,' stated: '2015 was the year of the Iranian people.' Mostafa Izadi, in a note in the Arman newspaper, wrote about 'two major victories of 2015': 'The first was the successful conclusion of nuclear negotiations between Iran and six world powers,' and 'the second was the elections of February 26, which saw widespread public participation at the polls and a relative success for the reform and moderation movement.' The Arman newspaper also introduced 'elimination of discrimination in women's and family laws,' 'the bill for child protection,' 'the entry of NGOs into the environmental field,' 'the approval of the elderly document,' and 'attention to the prevention sector in health' as some of the priorities for the government and parliament to pursue in 2016. The newspaper Shargh published a photo of its writers and journalists on the front page of its last issue of 2015. Mahmoud Dowai, the director of the newspaper Etemad, in the editorial of the last issue of the year, titled 'Nowruz and the Resolution of Political Disputes,' wrote: 'On the eve of the new year, I hope the atmosphere becomes more conducive for solidarity and mutual understanding and for utilizing the capacities of all the country's and system's benevolent forces, and that past grievances, misunderstandings, and some political limitations are brotherly removed with a view to the future.' The editorial writer of the Shargh newspaper, comparing the reformist government and the eight years of conservative governments, wrote that Hassan Rouhani received the government 'with an empty treasury and accumulated commitments and inflated expectations' and during the past two and a half years has tried to 'put the country on the track of development and progress,' and now 'the people in Nowruz 2016 can clearly feel the differences by comparing various periods of the country.' Ezzatollah Entezami, a renowned actor in Iranian cinema and theater, also stated in an interview with Mehrdad Hajati in the Shargh newspaper, 'Addressing the officials of the country,' that 'now that the nuclear agreement has been reached and the parliamentary elections have been held with enthusiasm, let them allow the atmosphere to open up a bit. The press should write with more freedom. Artists should work under more comfortable conditions. The country needs calm; conditions should be created so that people feel secure in it. There are still those who are trapped. They are in bondage. The officials should be magnanimous so that they can be freed from bondage and return to their families on the eve of Nowruz.' Conservative-affiliated newspapers have mostly criticized the government's economic record and warned about 'influence after the JCPOA' in their last issue of the year. Hassan al-Din Boroumand, a former writer for Kayhan, in the editorial of the newspaper Hemayat, affiliated with the prison organization, wrote: 'The key point of 2015 is the enemy's agenda in facing Islamic Iran in the post-JCPOA period,' and that is why the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic has 'repeatedly warned in recent months about the project of 'enemy infiltration' through the nuclear agreement and, on the other hand, emphasizes the need for the main institutions of the system to remain revolutionary.' The newspaper Vatan-e-Emruz, owned by Mehrdad Bazrpash, a representative close to the Steadfast Front, dedicated the entire front page of its last issue of 2015 to a photo of 'Jamkaran Mosque' and a line from Saadi's poem, stating: 'Whatever we said except the tale of the friend / In all our life, we regret it.' The newspaper Kayhan also emphasized the 'scientific decline and slowdown of the country's scientific momentum' in 2015, stating: 'In addition to the lack of job creation, the increase in the unemployed population and the unemployment of one Iranian every five minutes is another devastating plague that undoubtedly results from the performance and mismanagement of the eleventh government.' The newspaper Resalat, on its front page, quoted Abbas Kargar, the head of the 'Foundation for the Preservation of Sacred Defense Works,' stating that the 'Noor Pilgrimage Camps are a jihadist movement against infiltration.' Mohammad Kazem Anbarlooee, in the editorial of the Resalat newspaper, implicitly praised the performance of the military forces and institutions under the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic, introducing 2015 as 'a year of glorious victories in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Yemen, and...' but at the same time criticized the economic record of the eleventh government, stating that 2015 was 'a year of recession, unemployment, and the deterioration of the business environment.' This conservative-affiliated newspaper also predicted in a note titled 'The Plan of Conservatives for the Presidential Election' that with the experience gained by 'conservative youth' in the February 26 elections, it is 'unlikely that Hassan Rouhani will be the twelfth president of Iran.' Resalat wrote that conservatives must do only 'three things' to reach the presidency in the 2017 presidential election: first, 'complete the conservative coalition,' then 'provide a suitable discursive structure for the upcoming elections composed of economic and social programs,' and third, 'present a suitable candidate for the upcoming elections who is the missing link for society and the outcome of all social forces of conservatives.' Among economic newspapers, the newspaper Teadoll, in the front page of its Thursday issue titled 'A Spring Without the Shadow of Sanctions,' focused on Hassan Rouhani's remarks on the sidelines of the cabinet meeting, stating: 'The President of the Government of Prudence and Hope, in his remarks regarding the characteristics of spring 2016, spoke about the end of the sanctions and the return of Iran's trade and commerce to the international economic space.' The newspaper Tejarat also reported on 'economic developments of 2015 and the outlook for 2016,' stating: 'The Rouhani government came to power at a time when not only had inflation exceeded 40 percent, but instead of economic prosperity, we witnessed a deep recession in various economic sectors. Therefore, the government had to prioritize between reducing economic recession and reducing inflation, and the Rouhani government's choice was to reduce inflation.' This newspaper noted that the government must 'plan for the new year to increase economic growth to 8 percent, reduce unemployment to 8 percent, achieve single-digit inflation, and most importantly, resolve the issue of cash subsidies that consume a significant portion of the government's assets,' writing: 'The government's work in the economic sphere in JCPOA 2 may be much more difficult than in JCPOA 1, as time is passing rapidly for the government, and on the eve of the presidential elections in spring 2017, the people will pursue their demands from the government.'