Iran+Briefing

=media type="custom" key="8802296"= = __Wednesday, November 3, 2010__ =

Ahmadinejad Puts Iran's Foreign Currency Reserves at Over 100 billion
"Foreigners have stated that we have $100 bln of foreign currency reserves, but the figure is definitely higher than what they have announced," Ahmadinejad said addressing a conference of Iran's banking system here in Tehran on Saturday. The Iranian president then called on the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Mahmoud Bahmani, the country's minister of economy and finance as well as mangers of the Iranian banks to draw a new plan with a global view for the country's banking system that respects all Islamic religious values while meeting the international requirements. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced in its October report that Iran's foreign currency reserves are about $100 billion. Earlier this month, Bahmani announced that the country's gold reserves have reached an unexpected high level which is sufficient for Iran's domestic needs for the next 10 years.

http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8908081189

**Iran Welcomes Return to Nuclear Talks** Iran's Supreme National Security Council welcomed the G5+1 (the five permanent UN Security Council members plus Germany) willingness for the resumption of talks over Tehran's nuclear program. EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton proposed three-day talks with Iran in mid-November in the Austrian capital of Vienna, expressing hope that Tehran would "respond positively" to the offer. Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Saeed Jalili had informed Ashton of Iran's readiness for the resumption of talks with the world powers, but meantime stressed that the western states should first provide proper and clear responses to Iran's questions before any new round of talks between the two sides. Iran's prerequisites for talks mentioned in the form of three questions in Jalili's letter to Ashton were first declared by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad earlier this year.

http://www.payvand.com/news/10/oct/1237.html

Iran Welcomes Chinese Investment
===The Iranian Ambassador to Beijing, Mehdi Safari, said that Iran welcomes foreign investments, especially from longtime trade partners like China. "The Islamic Republic sets no limitation for investment of Chinese companies in Iran," IRNA quoted Safari as saying in China's capital city of Beijing on Tuesday. He added that Chinese firms have expressed interest in investing in different projects in Iran, including industries, road-building and energy. The Iranian ambassador expressed hope that Chinese companies and organizations would see Iran's economic potentials and further boost bilateral cooperation. Iran is currently China's third-largest supplier of crude, providing China with roughly 12 percent of its total annual oil consumption -- nearly one million barrels per day. The value of trade between Iran and China amounted to USD 8.6 billion in the first quarter of the Iranian calendar year (starting March 21st). About USD 5.4 billion of this sum constitutes Iran's export volume. ===



http://www.presstv.ir/detail/149321.html

IRGC Criticizes President
===In an unprecedented move, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has directly blasted President Mahmud Ahmadinejad over controversial comments he made recently, including saying that parliament is not on top of the country's affairs. Ahmadinejad was also criticized for promoting an "Iranian school of thought" instead of an Islamic one. Ahmadinejad has in recent weeks come under fire by his hard-line allies and conservatives over his new nationalistic rhetoric. So far, the IRGC, whose power and influence has grown since Ahmadinejad came to power, had not publicly criticized the Iranian president.The unusual attack by the IRGC, coming in one of its main publications, is seen by analysts as a warning issued to Ahmadinejad from Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with the intention of trying to tame the Iranian president. ===



http://www.rferl.org/content/Irans_Powerful_Revolutionary_Guards_Slam_Ahmadinejad_Over_Comments/2208758.html

= **__Thursday, October 7, 2010__** =

**Goldsmith Strike**
The goldsmiths of Tehran have continued to remain on strike for over a week shutting down the gold sellers' corner of the Grand Bazar. The strike started over a week ago when the Iranian government refused to repeal a new 3% Value Added Tax. The government was going to consent to the smiths' demands on Wednesday, but change their minds in the hope the strike would break later this week. http://www.iranfocus.com/en/ index.php?option=com_content& view=article&id=21890:strike- by-goldsmiths-continues&catid= 32:tehran-grapevine&Itemid=47

**Government Blocks Cleric Web Sites**
The Iranian government recently blocked two senior clerics web sites, but officials gave no announcement that the sites had been blocked. This unacknowledged conflict between the political and religious leaders began when some clerics became more critical of Ahmadinejad's election. The government has attempted to avoid direct conflict; however, there have been open attacks on clerics' homes by pro-government militias.

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Iran's Economy Grows Worse
The Iranian economy began to crumble as various countries placed sanctions on Iran in response to their controversial nuclear program. Originally, most citizens still had faith in their government and economy; however, with the rise of everyday items and service, along with a dropping currency value, has lead to concern. The government has given no clear plan on how to solve this building crisis, but they have announced they still intend to tax the citizens. []

Japanese Sanctions Cut Iranian Oil Exports
On Oct. 1 Japan's biggest oil explorer, Inpex Corp., stated that they were considering pulling out of the Azadega oil field in Iran. This move was spurred by recent Japanese sanctions, which are expected to soon decrease Iranian oil exports by 0.5 million barrels. http://www.tehrantimes.com/ index_View.asp?code=227982

** Shourd's Release **
Sarah Shroud was released from an Iranian prison in the past weeks. President Ahmadinejad hoped for a US gesture after the release. However, Ahmadinejad was of the opinion that western powers are pushing a "hidden agenda to dominate the Middle East region." Although Sarah is on US soil and "physically well" according to doctors in Oman after more than a year, she is not celebrating becasue her fiancee and his friend are still held captive in the prison. Now that Sarah is realeased, and on humanitaran ground, there is talk about a prisoner exchange between the US and Iran for the two hikers. http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/ meast/09/28/iran.oman.hikers/ index.html?iref=storysearch

** UAE Cuts Ties with Iranian Banks ** Banks have curtailed financial dealings with a handful of Iranian banks blacklisted by the U.S. Treasury. This dries up one of Iran's financial lifelines amid tightening international sanctions. The move is especially significant since Dubai has been an important re-export hub for Iranian importers, prohibited by previous sanctions from importing goods directly from the U.S. and elsewhere. Malaysia also recently suspended the local unit of Iran's second-largest bank, Bank Mellat, which the U.S. and the United Nations said was involved in facilitating "millions of dollars" in transactions aimed at advancing Iran's nuclear program. http://www.iranfocus.com/en/ index.php?option=com_content& view=article&id=21896:uae- cuts-off-ties-to-iran-banks-& catid=31:economy&Itemid=46

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