Iran says it has enough foreign currency despite US sanctions

Iran has sufficient foreign currency reserves despite US sanctions, Central Bank Governor Abdolnaser Hemmati said on Tuesday, after US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tehran ⁠was lashing out because ⁠it was losing the economic war.

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.

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.

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.

"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. These claims are just psychological warfare and the dust will settle soon," Hemmati said.

Iran's currency plunged to a record low in August, crossing the psychological threshold of 2 million rials to the US dollar, ⁠while ‌annual ‌inflation reached 66% in July.

Bessent ⁠said on Monday that Iran ‌was taking US sanctions seriously and was "lashing out kinetically because they are losing economically."

Washington ⁠has been increasingly relying on ⁠economic pressure to try to force Tehran to ⁠meet its demands, and Bessent has warned that those doing business with Iran could face US sanctions.