Iran’s Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati asserted on Tuesday that the country possesses sufficient foreign currency reserves, despite ongoing US sanctions. This statement comes in response to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s remarks, suggesting that Tehran is reacting aggressively due to its struggles in the economic conflict with the United States.
His comments appeared aimed at reassuring markets after Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian, pointed to growing difficulties for an economy facing US sanctions and a naval blockade. “I tell the people with complete honesty that economic conditions and livelihood management have become difficult, but collapse has never happened and will never happen. The central bank was ready to inject up to $2 billion into the foreign exchange market to calm recent volatility, Hemmati said, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
“I am telling the President of the United States: Iran has (foreign) currency and it has enough,” he added. Hemmati said the central bank was continuing to collect foreign currency receivables and had domestic reserves as well as other resources, though he added details of those could not be disclosed. These claims are just psychological warfare and the dust will settle soon,” Hemmati said. Bessent said on Monday that Iran was taking US sanctions seriously and was “lashing out kinetically because they are losing economically.”
