Top Officials Explore Ways to Ensure Investment Security

Heads of the three branches of government discussed a plan to attract more international firms into the domestic market by promoting an investment-friendly environment.

Speaking to reporters after a trilateral meeting with Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani and Judiciary Chief Sadeq Amoli Larijani in Tehran on Monday, Rouhani said, "We discussed at length ways of addressing economic problems so as to give people a sense of security and reassure them they can safely invest and engage in economic activities in the country."

To achieve this objective, Rouhani said he and the other two top decision-makers came up with a "mechanism", the president's official website reported.

"We envisaged a mechanism regarding the issue in the meeting. Good decisions were made on how to better absorb investment, particularly from foreign-based Iranian entrepreneurs, so all investors and entrepreneurs can benefit from the country's economic environment," he said.

***Options to Counter Trump's Hostility

Among the other topics on the meeting's agenda was the US administration's hostile approach toward the Islamic Republic and the historic deal negotiated by the previous US president, Barack Obama, along with the governments of the other four permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany in July 2015.

Donald Trump, the incumbent US president, has branded the pact "the worst deal ever" and "an embarrassment" to the United States.

The deal was expected to boost the Iranian economy by removing decade-old nuclear sanctions in return for temporary restrictions on Tehran's nuclear program.

But residual, non-nuclear US sanctions, coupled with Trump's increasingly antagonistic tone, have deterred foreign investors.

Trump's decisions on the deal so far indicate he is poised to pull the US out.

During the Monday meeting, the trio discussed options before the Islamic Republic in responding to any future attempt by Trump to undermine the landmark accord.

"We talked about various potential scenarios we could be facing and, fortunately, preparations are in place for any future decision," Rouhani added.