Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused the government on Monday of economic mismanagement and said it needed to improve its performance to help the country better weather newly reimposed U.S. sanctions.
Washington reimposed strict sanctions against Iran last Tuesday and President Donald Trump has threatened to penalise firms from other countries that continue to operate in the Islamic Republic. Iran has denounced the sanctions as "U.S. unilateralism".
"More than the sanctions, economic mismanagement (by the government) is putting pressure on ordinary Iranians ... I do not call it betrayal but a huge mistake in management," Iranian state TV quoted Khamenei as saying, in his first reaction to the reimposition of U.S. sanctions.
Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Turkmenistan signed on Sunday a convention on the Caspian Sea's legal status, a matter disputed between the five for more than two decades.The leaders of the five countries who gathered in the Kazakh port city of Aktau to sign the document provided no details of the agreement in their speeches before the signing.Littoral states to sign document on Caspian Sea statusDeal on Caspian Sea's legal status to be signed on Sunday
Russia, Iran, others sign deal on Caspian Sea's legal status
"With better management and planning we can resist the sanctions and overcome them," Khamenei said.
Iran's rial currency has lost about half of its value since April in anticipation of the renewed U.S. sanctions, driven mainly by heavy demand for dollars among ordinary Iranians trying to protect their savings.
Fearing further economic hardship, thousands of Iranians in recent weeks have protested against the slump in the rial, sharp rises in the prices of some food items and state corruption.
The protests in cities and towns across Iran have often begun with slogans against the high cost of living, high prices and a lack of jobs, but have then quickly turned into anti-government rallies.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qassemi on Saturday criticized U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to impose additional tariffs on Turkey.Qassemi said Turkey and the Turkish people can succeed against external pressures."The will of the nations cannot be changed by bullying and threats," Qassemi told Iranian television, emphasizing the importance of cooperation between the countries of the region.US tariffs decision against Turkey 'shameful,' Iran saysUS tariff hike on Turkey fails to make economic senseQassemi's remarks followed those of Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who had said: "Trump's jubilation in inflicting economic hardship on its NATO ally Turkey is shameful. The U.S. has to rehabilitate its addiction to sanctions bullying or entire world will unite -- beyond verbal condemnations -- to force it to."We’ve stood with neighbors before, and will again now," Zarif wrote on his official Twitter account.Zarif's remarks came a day after Trump ramped up his attack on Turkey by doubling U.S. tariffs on Turkish aluminum and steel imports to 20 percent and 50 percent, respectively.Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy on Friday said in a statement that Trump's decision, which disregards World Trade Organization rules, "cannot be associated with seriousness expected from a state"."All the steps taken against Turkey will be given a befitting response as they have been given before," Aksoy added.
Iran slams Trump's tariffs decision targeting Turkey
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday called for "swift and just" legal action from new courts after the head of the judiciary said the country faced an "economic war", state television reported.The rial currency has lost about half of its value since April under the threat of revived U.S. sanctions, with heavy demand for dollars among ordinary Iranians trying to protect their savings.The cost of living has also soared, sparking sporadic demonstrations against profiteering and corruption, with many protesters chanting anti-government slogans.The central bank and the judiciary have blamed "enemies" for the fall of the currency and a rapid rise in the price of gold coins, and the judiciary has said more than 40 people including a former central bank deputy have been arrested on charges carrying the death penalty.The judiciary has suggested that arch-foes the United States and Israel as well as regional rival Saudi Arabia and government opponents living in exile are fomenting the unrest."The current special economic conditions are considered an economic war," judiciary chief Ayatollah Sadeq Amoli Larijani said in a letter to Khamenei, calling for the setting up of special courts to deal quickly with financial crimes, the television report said.Khamenei agreed, saying: "The purpose (of the courts) should be to punish those guilty of corrupt economic practices swiftly and justly," the TV added. "The courts should be advised to (ensure) the accuracy of their rulings."New Islamic revolutionary courts will be set up for two years and directed to impose maximum sentences on those "disrupting and corrupting the economy", and appeal rights will be curbed, Amoli Larijani proposed in his letter, read on state television.In May, the United States pulled out of a 2015 deal between world powers and Tehran under which international sanctions on Iran were lifted in return for curbs on its nuclear programme.Washington this week reimposed sanctions on Iran’s purchase of U.S. dollars, its trade in gold and precious metals and its dealings with metals, coal and industrial-related software.The United States has told other countries they must halt imports of Iranian oil from early November or face U.S. financial measures.Iran Guards say they killed 10 terrorists near Iraq borderIran foreign minister says no meeting planned with US counterpartIraq condemns re-imposition of US sanctions on Tehran
Iran Supreme Leader calls for action to face 'economic war'