TEHRAN (FNA)- Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Abdolnasser Hemmati said that the International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s data on Iran's foreign exchange bank reserves is wrong.
“The recent report published by the IMF on CBI’s foreign exchange reserves is a big mistake arising from incomplete information,” Hemmati wrote on social media.
“Publishing a false estimate by the IMF, without obtaining approval from the CBI is unacceptable,” he added.
The IMF had released unsubstantiated report on the foreign reserves of Central Bank of Iran without referring to the reliable source of the CBI itself.
Earlier this month, Hemmati had asked the IMF to defy the US sanctions and grant the emergency loan requested by Tehran for campaign against the coronavirus outbreak.
Hemmati made the remarks at the webinar of the Spring Meeting of the World Bank Group and the IMF on Thursday April 1.
"The IMF has already given more than $100 billion in loans to 85 countries, adding that the Fund has loaned nearly $16 billion to countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) plus Afghanistan and Pakistan (MENAP) region, but Iran, which was one of the first countries to demand emergency funds, has not received any facilities so far without providing any logical reason," Hemmati said.
"Since the coronavirus outbreak, the economies of countries, especially developing states, have been seriously damaged and Iran is one of the countries most affected by the pandemic in the region," he added.
Hemmati pointed out that despite the sanctions and the maximum pressure imposed by the US, Iran has been able to overcome the problems and take suitable measures.
He described the inaction by the IMF as a clear contradiction to the spirit and goals of an international organization, and said that Iran expects the IMF to respond to its legal request as quickly as possible without discrimination and influence imposed by political lobbyists or pressure from the US.