In the Press
Al-Monitor “Iran’s budget tackles falling oil prices”
10 Dec 2014
On Dec. 7, President Hassan Rouhani presented his budget bill for the Iranian year 1394 (which begins March 21, 2015) to the Iranian parliament. The budget bill was anticipated by various stakeholders, especially considering low and falling oil prices as well as the wait-and-see mode in the nuclear negotiations that have induced massive uncertainties into Iran’s economic outlook.
Al-Monitor “Iran’s private sector eager for nuclear deal”
21 Nov 2014
While international businesses are waiting to see what will emerge from the nuclear talks in Vienna, Iran’s business community remains more optimistic about the outcome of the negotiations, though, in its own right, the country’s private sector is also in a wait-and-see mode.
Al-Monitor “Iran’s private sector eager for nuclear deal”
14 Nov 2014
The decline of international crude oil prices has led to speculation about the financial position of the Iranian government. However, a closer look at government finances and overall trade and economic realities underlines that Iran’s vulnerability to oil price fluctuations is reduced enormously. Some international observers and news media (including CNN) have been repeating a myth stating that Iran needed…
MoU between Austria’s Montan University and Iran’s Petroleum University of Technology (PUT)
10 Nov 2014
Atieh International (AI) is pleased to announce the first Memorandum of Understanding between Austria’s Montan University and Iran’s Petroleum University of Technology (PUT) in order to expand cooperation. AI’s Dr. Afsaneh Gaechter was instrumental in this collaboration. More to come as AI continues developing a stronger exchange of education, science, technology and know-how transfer between Iran and the EU, specifically focusing on German speaking countries.
Al-Monitor “Decoding Iran’s economic indicators”
22 Oct 2014
In the past few weeks, there has been a major debate in Iran about the validity of economic data presented by the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) and government officials. It all started with a detailed report by the CBI stating that the Iranian economy grew by 4.6% in the 12-month period ending in spring 2014. Within days, Gholamreza Mesbahi Moghaddam, head of the Budget and Planning Committee in the Iranian parliament, commented that the published figures were “wrong and misleading” and…
5. Hafis-Dialog in Weimar “Die iranische Demokratiebewegung holt sich ihre Stimme zurück”
21 Oct 2014
Der Hafis-Dialog in Weimar bringt seit dem Jahr 2010 deutsche und iranische Experten zusammen, um aus verschiedenen Perspektiven über die Entwicklungen im Iran und die deutsch-iranischen Beziehungen zu sprechen. Kaum ein Thema ist dazu besser geeignet als die politische Entwicklung im Iran, die sowohl im Iran selbst als auch im Ausland extrem unterschiedlich bewertet wird.
Al-Monitor “After nuclear negotiations, what’s next for Iran’s economy?”
25 Sep 2014
As the world is anticipating the conclusion of the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany (P5+1), analysts and businesses wonder how a potential lifting of the current sanctions will influence economic developments in Iran. There is no doubt that a gradual lifting of sanctions will…
Al-Monitor “Will Rouhani’s Iran economic stimulus package work?”
25 Aug 2014
In mid-July, nearly a year after President Hassan Rouhani took office, his administration introduced a package of economic reforms with the objective of moving the economy out of stagflation. The so-called stimulus package has tried to address key challenges in the Iranian economy that, according to the chief economic adviser to the government, Massoud Nili, include a lack of financial resources, market imbalances and…
Al-Monitor “Iran bans vasectomies in hopes of boosting birthrate”
6 Jul 2014
Recent comments by Iranian officials are a clear indication that there is a sense of absolute confusion among politicians with regard to population policies. Previous policies in this field represent a roller coaster over the past three decades. Initially, after 1979, birth control policies were discontinued as they were seen as a Western tool to keep the populations of developing countries like Iran low. In the late 1980s, when the country was faced with…
Al-Monitor “Iran’s investors alarmed by stock market decline”
18 Jun 2014
This week, another sharp drop in the Tehran Stock Exchange Index (TEPIX) served as a reminder that some of the structural issues in Iran’s main capital market need to be addressed. Since the beginning of the current Iranian year (March 21, 2014) the TEPIX has dropped by 8% — a fact that has worried Iranian investors. Though this week’s sharp decline (2.5% drop on June 14-15) came to a halt on June 16, concerns remain that further fluctuations will…
Al-Monitor “Six keys to economic reform in Iran”
8 Jun 2014
On June 8, during the commencement of the International Exhibition of Exchange, Bank and Insurance, Iran’s first Vice President Eshagh Jahangiri announced that the country needed an 8% annual economic growth and a 12% yearly increase in capital investments to generate the jobs required for a healthy path of development. He identified financing as the missing…
Al-Monitor “Iran-UAE trade talks another sign of Gulf thaw”
4 Jun 2014
On June 1, a trade delegation consisting of the ministers of agriculture and infrastructure, the heads of the chambers of commerce of the seven Emirates in the UAE and their accompanying business representatives visited Iran. This was the first high-level UAE trade delegation to Tehran after an eight-year absence. The UAE business delegates represent five sectors: oil and gas, banking, food industry, automotive traders and…
Al-Monitor “Iranian currency on downward trend”
23 May 2014
When analyzing economic trends, the free market exchange rate of the Iranian rial is viewed as an indicator of the general business confidence in the country. Reviewing the initial effect of President Hassan Rouhani’s election on the rate in 2013, one can feel the overall positive impact that the new government had on the business climate. Indeed, in April 2013, the rate stood at about 35,000 rials to the dollar and then rose to a peak of…
Al-Monitor “New administrative regions could boost Iran’s economy”
15 May 2014
On May 10, Iran’s Interior Minister Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli proclaimed that his ministry had established a working group to review the potential of dividing the country into new administrative regions. While announcing this task, Rahmani Fazli underlined that this work “would not mean that the current administrative structures would be unsettled.” In February, the Majles Research Center (MRC) published a report stating: “The current administrative structures in Iran are an inefficient..
Al-Monitor “Iran sinks in water crisis”
3 May 2014
Over the past few months, Iranian officials and experts have underlined the gravity of the water shortage in the country. Last year, Al-Monitor looked at the social backlash related to the scarcity of water resources in the country, but this article focuses on the root causes of the problem and what could be done to limit the depth of the crisis.
Al-Monitor “Sistan-Baluchistan: Rouhani’s challenge”
21 Apr 2014
On April 15-16, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and an accompanying delegation paid a visit to Sistan-Baluchestan, Iran’s southeasternmost province, bordering on Pakistan and Afghanistan. Sistan-Baluchestan has suffered over the years as a result of various historical, ethnic and geostrategic issues, leading to it becoming the country’s most deprived region in modern history. One of the first statements by Rouhani during his visit underlines the related sensitivities: “We don’t have second-class citizens. All Iranians are equal.”
Al-Monitor “Can Iran finally pass subsidy reform?”
7 Apr 2014
Iran is preparing to implement the second phase of its subsidy reforms, generating anxiety among politicians, businesspeople and society at large. The Iranian government has approved the executive bylaws that determine the implementation of the second phase of removing the blanket subsidies on energy and foodstuffs in return for…
Al-Monitor “Women can play larger role in Iranian economy”
26 Mar 2014
Iran is facing a socioeconomic issue in women’s unemployment. According to an article published in the March 2014 issue of Iran Economics, only 13% of the workforce consists of women and the latest official statistics for women’s unemployment stands at 15.6%, though unofficial unemployment figures for this group is 38.3%. Furthermore, only 9.2% of the entrepreneurs…ext in the module Advanced settings.
2 Paragraphs: Can Iran Cooperate–Even If It Chooses To?
25 Mar 2014
Like any other pluralistic political system, Iran also has a number of political factions that have to operate within a complex power structure that is influenced by formal and informal power centers. It is not a secret that there are major disagreements within the country’s key constituencies, but when it comes to strategic decisions, once a decision is made (e.g. the decision to negotiate with the P5+1 and to find a resolution for the nuclear stand-off), then…
Al-Monitor “Growth in Iran’s non-oil exports linked to sanctions relief “
23 Mar 2014
In the last few years, amid economic decline and hardships, one positive indicator has been the Iranian economy’s continuous trade surplus. Many expected the country’s export performance to collapse as a result of external sanctions. However, the sharp decline in crude oil exports was compensated for by the decline in imports and the modest growth in..
Entschlüsselung der iranischen “Wirtschaft des Widerstands”
13 Mar 2014
In einem am 19. Februar erlassenen Dekret stellte Irans religiös-politisches Staatsoberhaupt, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, die allgemeinen Richtlinien der “Widerstandswirtschaft” Irans vor. Im Folgenden sind die wichtigsten Ziele jenes Dokuments aufgelistet:
Al-Monitor “Rouhani calls for media to focus on corruption”
13 Mar 2014
There is no doubt that corruption and mismanagement have been significant impediments to Iran’s economic development. Experts agree that during former President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s two terms in office, these two issues were the main causes of economic decline and increased misery in the country. Though that administration came to power claiming that it would fight corruption…
Al-Monitor “Rouhani deepens Iran’s ties with Iraq”
4 Mar 2014
On Feb. 25, during meetings between Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Iraqi counterpart, Hoshyar Zebari, the two sides announced that they have agreed to finally implement the 1975 Algiers Agreement to regulate their land and river borders and, most importantly, to dredge the Shatt-al-Arab river, an important waterway for both countries. Experts from both sides are finalizing..
Al-Monitor “Decoding Iran’s ‘resistance economy’”
24 Feb 2014
In a decree issued Feb. 19, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei introduced the general policies of Iran’s “resistance economy.” The following are some of the key objectives presented in this document:
Al-Monitor “Privatization of soccer clubs in Iran”
14 Feb 2014
This week, Iran’s minister of sports and youth, Mahmoud Goudarzi, appointed Amir Reza Khadem, former wrestling world champion and member of the Tehran City Council as the ministry’s special representative in the process of privatization of Tehran’s most prestigious soccer clubs, Persepolis and Esteghlal. This appointment was welcomed by leading stakeholders as…
Al-Monitor “Iran opens new chapter in relations with Russia”
7 Feb 2014
During a televised interview on Feb. 5, President Hassan Rouhani commented on Iran’s international relations, asserting that there will be a new dynamic in Iran-Russia relations. Although Rouhani’s government is in general pursuing the objective of improving relations with immediate neighbors, there is no doubt that Russia occupies a special position in…
Al-Monitor “International companies reconsider investment in Iran”
3 Feb 2014
Amid the implementation of the Joint Plan of Actions between Iran and the so-called P5+1 (five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany) and the consequent sanctions relief, international companies that are interested in re-engaging the Iranian market are faced with an important reality: In the past decade, Iran’s business community has transformed from being one dominated by public companies to…gs and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
Al-Monitor ” Iran needs reform of gas sector”
24 Jan 2014
As international companies are awaiting the practical consequences of the implementation of the interim nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, one issue is certain: Gas will be at the core of Iranian developments over the next decade. With 33.6 trillion cubic meters (about 18% of global reserves) of proven gas, Iran is, next to Russia, one of the top two countries with regard to conventional…
Al-Monitor “Iran addresses legacy of rents in economy”
20 Jan 2014
Experts agree that Iran’s path out of its current economic situation will have to include a growing focus on private sector activity as a source of employment and economic growth. While private sector players face a host of challenges due to outdated regulation as well as the dominance of governmental and semi-state companies in the economy, they also face an unlikely challenge from…spect of this content in the module Design settings and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
Al-Monitor “Can Rouhani reverse Iran’s brain drain?”
12 Jan 2014
On Jan. 7, Iran’s Minister of Science, Research and Technology Reza Faraji Dana said, “Every year, about 150,000 highly talented people emigrate from Iran, equaling an annual loss of $150 billion to the economy.” Though the monetary value may be inaccurate (the World Bank put the economic cost of Iran’s brain drain at $50 billion in 2010), the fact is that Iran has experienced one of the highest levels of brain drain…s and even apply custom CSS to this text in the module Advanced settings.
Al-Monitor “Can Rouhani reverse Iran’s brain drain?”
4 Jan 2014
Experts agree that the Iranian private sector will be the critical element in driving the country’s economy out of its current stagflation. At the same time, private businesses are in dire need of modern and functioning banking and financial services. While still small compared to giant public banks, Iran’s private banks could be the missing link in the country’s business services; however, they need to look for new…
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