Iran Economic News Headlines - May 27

1. Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif: We can connect Chabahar and Gwadar, and then connect Gwadar to our entire railroad system, from Iran to the North Corridor, via Turkmenistan and Kazakhstan, and also through Azerbaijan, Russia and through Turkey … We believe that Chabahar and Gwadar can complement each other. (Fars News Agency)
2. President Hassan Rouhani: The competition between public and private sectors is fundamentally misguided. (IRNA) 
3. Governor of Central Bank of Iran Abdolnasser Hemmati: US sanctions have mainly targeted [the livelihood of] the middle class and the lower middle class Iranians. (Fars News Agency)
4. Chairman of Majlis Economic Commission Mohammad Reza Pour-Ebrahimi: A joint taskforce consisting of government and parliament representatives will be set up to carry out structural reforms in the budget. (IRNA)
5. Chairman of Iran-Qatar Chamber of Commerce Adnan Mousapour: Iran-Qatar trade has increased from $60 million to $120 million per year following the Saudi-led economic blockade on Doha. (ILNA) 
6. Mohammad Hassan Didehvar, a member of Tehran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture: The private sector should have a representative in the Cabinet. (IRNA)
7. Mehdi Karimi Tafreshi, a board member at the Confederation of Iranian Industry: Production in Iran depends heavily on imports of capital and intermediate goods. Today, raw materials, intermediate and capital goods account for more than 90% of the country’s imports. Between 10-70% of the raw materials needed for Iranian industries are procured from foreign countries. (IRNA)
8. Vice President for Science and Technology Sorena Sattari: Knowledge-based companies will be supported financially to counter sanctions imposed by the US against Iran. (Mehr News Agency)
9. Mohammad Javad Qanbari, the deputy head of Iran International Exhibitions Company: Iran no longer stamps the passports of trade delegations that travel to the country. (IRNA)  
10. Hesam Oqbaei, the deputy head of Tehran Association of Realtors: An estimated 1.2 million homes need to be built every year in Iran whereas new homes average about 300,000 annually. (IRNA) 
11. Deputy for Ports and Economic Affairs with Sistan-Baluchestan’s Ports and Maritime General Office Hossein Shahdadi: Throughput in Sistan-Baluchestan’s Shahid Beheshti and Shahid Kalantari ports saw a 30% rise during the first two months of the current Iranian year [started March 21]. (News.mrud.ir)
12. Deputy Managing Director of Arvand Free Zone Organization for Business Development and Investment Affairs Ali Mousavi: The value of exported goods from Arvand Free Zone to Iraq in the first two months of the current year [March 21–May 21] increased by 30% compared with last year’s corresponding period. (Mehr News Agency)
13. Hossein Ali Abdolhay, the deputy head of Iran Fisheries organization: Iran produces 40% of its domestic demand for eyed trout eggs and the remaining 60% are mainly imported from France, Italy and Denmark. (Mehr News Agency)