Ahmadinejad: West waging financial war on Iran
Iranian president blames international community for stifling local economy; says Iran's central bank steadily financing imports
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held a special press conference Tuesday in which he addressed the country's dire financial situation.
"The West is waging a war against the Iranian economy," he said.
Ahmadinejad said the country's enemies were waging a "psychological war" against it, adding: "Enemies have managed to reduce our oil sales but hopefully we will compensate for this."
The Iranian rial has plunged to a record low against the US dollar earlier Tuesday, following a recent series of exchange tumbles.
The Iranian rial has depreciated 57% in the past three months.
Meanwhile, Iranian lawmakers have signed a petition to summon Ahmadinejad to parliament for questioning over the rapid drop in the value of the country's currency.
A lawmaker, Mohammad Bayatian, said enough signatures have been collected to bring Ahmadinejad before the 290-seat chamber for the second time. His comments were posted Tuesday on the parliament's website.
Ahmadinejad defended his economic record on Tuesday, saying a phase-out of food and fuel subsidies that he launched in 2010, which has boosted the official inflation rate to around 25 percent, had been successful.
