Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Iran

Former Minister Criticizes Iran's Economic Policies

Alireza Tahmasebi, Iran's former industry minister (file photo) (Fars)

August 15, 2007 -- Iran's former industry minister has criticized President Mahmud Ahmadinejad's economic policies.

TEXT SIZE - +

August 15, 2007

According to the Fars news agency, Alireza Tahmasebi, who was replaced in a government shuffle on August 12, complained in his resignation letter that prices had been frozen artificially, industrial plants are suffering from under-investment, and that the Industry Ministry was enduring poor personnel changes.

Oil Minister Kazem Vaziri-Hamaneh, who was criticized recently for a gas-pipeline deal, also resigned on August 12.

The resignation of the two ministers were the third and fourth such departures from Ahmadinejad's cabinet since he came to power in 2005.

The cabinet reshuffle was seen as aimed at increasing the president's control over his economic policy, which has been widely criticized.

(AFP, Fars, Reuters)

The Iranian Economy

Buses being produced at a factory in Tehran (Fars)

IN NEED OF DIVERSIFICATION. Populist Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is having trouble fulfilling his promises to put the country's petrodollars on the plates of average citizens. Inflation and unemployment remain high and the economy is dominated by the energy sector.

Foes Challenge President's Economic Rhetoric

Power Cuts In An Energy-Rich Land Spark Protests

Government Balks At Gasoline Rationing

Weak Economy Challenges Populist President

ARCHIVE

RFE/RL's coverage of Iran.

For weekly news and analysis on Iran by e-mail, subscribe to "RFE/RL Iran Report."

Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad (center) looks on as scientists unveil a fuel rod at the Tehran Research Reactor.

Iranian Nuke Still One-To-Three Years Away, Says Expert

Iran on announced on February 15 that it has installed its first domestically produced nuclear fuel rods in a reactor in Tehran. Tehran also announced that it activated a new generation of centrifuges at its Natanz nuclear facility. RFE/RL spoke with nuclear physicist Frank Barnaby about what the advances reveal regarding Iran's uranium enrichment abilities, which Western countries allege are aimed at secretly building a nuclear weapon. More

Iran has stepped up its pressure on activists using the Internet

Iranian Activists, Journalists Receive Threatening E-mails

A number of Iranian activists and journalists based inside and outside the country have told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda they have been threatened in anonymous e-mails. More

A vendor in the central Bosnian town of Zenica sells heart-shaped cushions with proclamations of love for 1 euro each.

Love It (Or Hate It), It's Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day, the Western holiday celebrating love, has become a global phenomenon over the past two decades. The fall of communism and the emergence of the Internet have helped February 14 become something of an unofficial international day of romance. However, not all the passions the holiday stirs are related to love. While some countries have openly embraced the holiday, others are attempting to ban it or replace it with local customs. More