Rouhani: Government To Cut Inflation Rate To 25 pc This Year

President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that his government is determined to cut inflation rate to 25 percent this year, according to IRNA.

Speaking to a group of Majlis deputies, government officials and political activists, President Rouhani said the 11th government will no longer borrow from Central Bank of Iran.

He said economic vibrancy and implementation of the second phase of the subsidy cut plan will be his government’s target this year.

He hoped that the second phase of the subsidy cut plan will help the government and Majlis meet their major objectives like optimizing energy consumption, raising production, creating job opportunities, upgrading health standards and protecting environment.

Elsewhere in his speech, President Rouhani said the country’s diplomatic apparatus is engaged in talks with foreign parties to reach a comprehensive accord on Iranˈs nuclear program.

On recent resolution issued by the European Parliament against Iran, Rouhani said, “From the viewpoint of the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the resolution lacks any value and European Parliament is too small to insult the great Iranian nation.”

Underlining that such resolutions lack any legitimacy, he said, “A resolution has been issued that is unprecedented over the past four years but it lacks any legitimacy.”

He said fortunately, thanks to the tranquility and transparency governing the country’s diplomatic atmosphere, even the slightest insult has not been heard and of course, the Iranian nation will take stances against such issues.”

Talks on final nuclear deal draft to start in May, says Zarif

Meanwhile in Vienna, talks on drafting a comprehensive final nuclear agreement will begin in May when Iran and six

powers meet again in Vienna, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif told the press here Monday upon arrival at Vienna airport.

This time, we will wrap up the discussions on various issues hopefully by Wednesday and in May the meetings on the draft will start, the minister said.

Zarif still anticipated the talks to finish by July 20, coinciding with the end of the first six-month interim nuclear accord deadline.

ˈOf course, this is the expectation, it depends on a lot of work.

A lot of decisions have to be made,ˈ he stressed.

The minister urged the E3 plus 3 partners to adopt ˈvery difficult and hard decisions to accept the realities on the

ground and to respect the rights of the Iranian people.ˈ

ˈWe are prepared to work with them in order to remove any doubts about the exclusively peaceful nature of the

program. This is our agenda and we start drafting next time to get the final deal by the time we have agreed toend,ˈ said Zarif.

Iran’s top diplomat is scheduled to meet European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton later this evening for a working

dinner to prepare the agenda for nuclear talks on Tuesday and Wednesday.

R.S