0540 GMT: On the day after Nowruz, attention has already returned to the economy. Or rather it has moved from the rhetoric --- the Supreme Leader's proclamation of the "Year of National Production" following a 2011/12 which supposedly saw the "great success" of the "Year of Economic Jihad" --- to the reality.
Press TV tries to find hope in a US "exemption" of 10 European Union members and Japan from "tough new sanctions on Iran as they have reduced oil purchase from Tehran".
That's a slight distortion: Washington exempted the 11 countries from sanctions on their own economies, finding that they had complied with the US effort to isolate Tehran. But the website does accurately offer the words of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton:
[These countries] had to rethink their energy needs at a critical time for the world economy and quickly begin to find alternatives to Iranian oil, which many had been reliant on for their energy needs. Diplomacy coupled with strong pressure can achieve the long-term solutions we seek and we will continue to work with our international partners to increase the pressure on Iran to meet its international obligations.
Even more interesting in the US manoeuvring of sanctions is the confirmation, amidst charges that Washington's squeeze is hurting the Iranian people rather than the regime, of more American sales of wheat to Tehran.
US officials said Iran has purchased 60,000 more metric tonnes, bring the two-week tally to 180,000 tonnes. Sources said the Islamic Republic is close to completing purchases of another 220,000 tonnes to be shipped as early as April, and is in talks with exporters to buy another undisclosed amount.
The price tag for the 400,000 tonnes -- 180,000 confirmed and 220,000 yet to be formally declared -- could be around $160 million.
Iran has purchased about 2 million tonnes of wheat from several countries since February as it stockpiles food.
Posted via email from lissping
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