Senior Cleric Calls for Iranian Gov't's Economic Reshuffling to Defy US Sanctions

Rasa - Tehran's provisional Friday Prayers Leader Ayatollah Mohammad Ali Movahedi Kermani urged the Iranian government to appoint a young and integrated team of economy experts for cabinet posts.

News ID: 438845

Date: 26 July 2018 - 22:12

RNA - Addressing a large and fervent congregation of the people in Tehran on Friday, Ayatollah Movahedi Kermani said, "The government needs to change its economic team."

The senior Iranian cleric reiterated that polyphony is not acceptable in the government's economic management, and said, "It is necessary to use young, active, and united staff in the economic team of the administration.”

In a relevant development on Wednesday, Abdolnasser Hemmati was appointed as the new governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) to replace Valiollah Seif.

President Hassan Rouhani's cabinet members in a session in Tehran on Wednesday gave a vote of confidence to Hemmati and appointed him as the new CBI governor.

President Rouhani said that the change in CBI has been made to bring about reforms in the banking system and financial policies and improving banking relations with the world, fostering bilateral financial deals and protecting the country's foreign exchange.

According to Fars News Agancy, Hemmati, 61, who is named as the father of private insurance in Iran had been picked as managing director of Bank Melli Iran (BMI) about five years ago.

Hemmati was due to work as Iran's ambassador to China, but he did not submit his credentials and left Beijing for Tehran to be appointed as the 18th CBI governor.

Seif was a CBI governor for four years and his term ended this week.

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