Iran Economic News Headlines - May 15

1. Steffen Seibert, German government spokesman: Along with our E3 partners [France and Britain], we’re undertaking efforts to keep enabling legitimate trade with Iran, in particular by providing a payment channel [that has not yet been activated]. (Reuters)
2. Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Abdolnasser Hemmati: That the EU is pursuing a financial mechanism for trade with Iran has been repeated so often that it is now a threadbare excuse. (ILNA)
3. Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif: Iran and Turkmenistan will broaden cooperation in energy and transportation sectors. (IRNA)
4. Caretaker of the Iranian National Tax Administration Mohammad Qasem Panahi: The government earned about 1,090 trillion rials [$7.26 billion] in tax revenues in the last [Iranian] year [ended March 20, 2019]. (ILNA)
5. Minister of Roads and Urban Development Mohammad Eslami: The housing sector has slipped into recession. (News.mrud.ir)
6. Fardin Yazdani, the Comprehensive Housing Plan’s deputy for research: Up to 70% of Iranians can’t afford to purchase a house. (ILNA)
7. Mohammad Nahavandian, vice president for economic affairs: The tough economic situation [in Iran] offers a great opportunity for structural reforms. (Fars News Agency)
8. President of Iran Copper Association Bahram Shakouri: Sanctions against Iran’s mining industry are nothing new; they would fail to hurt exports. (IRNA)
9. Amir-Reza Vaez Ashtiyani, an economic analyst: The choice between coupon and subsidy is in fact the choice between the lesser of the two evils. (ILNA)
10. Mohsen Jalalpour, ex-president of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture: Decisions and policies made over the past 40 years have not been based on economic principles. (Persian weekly Tejarat-e Farda)
11. Mohammad Reza Modoudi, caretaker of Trade Promotion Organization of Iran: Iran’s imports stood at $2.3 billion in the month ending April 20, which indicates a 7.7% decline year-on-year. (IRNA)
12. Hossein Mirshojaeian, an advisor to economic minister: Only one-third of Iran's $40 billion in non-oil export revenues were returned to the country in the last [Iranian] year. (ISNA)
13. Director General of Agriculture Ministry's Crisis Management Department Mohammad Mousavi: Ninety percent of agricultural land inundated in recent floods have been drained. (IRNA)
14. Secretary of Market Regulation Headquarters Abbas Qobadi: Between 50-60% of Iran’s annual domestic demand for tuna are supplied through imports. (ILNA)
15. Mohammad Ebrahim Hassannejad, an official with Agriculture Ministry: Late frost has inflicted losses amounting to 4,400 billion rials [$293 million] on farms and orchards covered by agricultural insurance. (Mehr News Agency)