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Rouhani's woes mount as Iran economy minister impeached
[DAWN] Iran's parliament impeached Economy Minister Masoud Karbasian on Sunday in the latest blow to embattled President Hassan Rouhani as he struggles to face down a mounting economic crisis.Karbasian is the second cabinet minister to be sacked this month, following the impeachment of Labour Minister Ali Rabiei on August 8. Critics say the government squandered the opportunities presented by the 2015 nuclear deal and have failed to tackle high rates of inflation and joblessness. With the United States abandoning the nuclear deal in May and reimposing sanctions, Rouhani's hopes of attracting vast sums of foreign investment appear dead in the water. Major European firms, including La Belle France's Total, Peugeot and Renault, and Germany's Siemens and Daimler, have all announced their departure since the US announcement. Rouhani's conservative opponents ‐ who long-opposed his outreach to the West and efforts to improve civil liberties ‐ say the primary blame lies with government corruption and mismanagement. "Inefficiency and lack of planning have nothing to do with sanctions," said one politician, Abbas Payizadeh, in a speech ahead of the vote. "Wrong decisions have harmed the people and led to individuals looting public assets," he added. Posted by: Fred 2018-08-27 |
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