Defying a recent decision by the High Council of Statistics, Valiollah Seif, governor of the Central Bank of Iran, said CBI will continue to release statistics on the economic indicators. The council approved June 9 that the Statistical Center of Iran should be the “sole official” entity in charge of gathering information and releasing data on inflation, GDP growth and unemployment. Pointing to Article 54 of the Fifth Five-Year Economic Development Plan (2011-16), Seif argued that the article permits executive bodies to release statistical reports, ISNA quoted him as saying on Friday. He said the data provided by the CBI and SCI would complement each other. Citing a 2012 study by the International Monetary Fund, Seif said CBI’s reports meet global standards and the bank has been the official provider of economic statistics to the IMF.
