SUMMARY: Economy Minister Ali Tayyebnia has issued a warning over thoughts that an agreement on Irans nuclear program with the US and other countries will lead to immediate economic recovery:
To think that sanctions will be lifted in the near future and all problems will be solved is a false dream. Even if there is progress in the negotiations and oil revenues begin pouring into the country, we will still be facing the problems of dependence on these revenues.
Tayyebnia emphasized that sanctions are not the cause of the Islamic Republics economic problems, only an aggravating factor of inappropriate economic policies and ineffective economic models.
He continued, It is a strategic mistake to concentrate all our energy on reducing sanctions and lose focus from the factors creating our economic problems.
The Rouhani Government is battling a series of problems that it has inherited from the Ahmadinejad Administration, including a large deficit in the Government deficit, rising inflation, declining production in some sectors, tension over foreign reserves, and the haphazard implementation of the subsidy cuts program.
The Rouhani Government has said that it is committed to opening up communications, with all Ministers starting Facebook pages and both the President and Foreign Minister prominent on social media.
Last month, Twitter and Facebook were unblocked for 24 hours, either because of a technical glitch or a testing of the waters by the Government.