Iran to replace central bank chief: official

TEHRAN, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Abdolnaser Hemmati, former governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI), is set to be reappointed to lead the bank, replacing incumbent chief Mohammad-Reza Farzin, a presidential office official said Monday.

Seyyed Mehdi Tabatabaei, deputy for communications at the president's office, said on social media platform X that Hemmati's appointment will follow a decision by President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Hemmati previously served as the CBI's governor from 2018 to 2021.

The announcement came after Nour News, affiliated with Iran's Supreme National Security Council, quoted Tabatabaei earlier on Monday as saying that Farzin had submitted his resignation. Tabatabaei noted the president might accept it based on macroeconomic considerations.

However, Mostafa Qamari-Vafa, the CBI's public relations director, later denied the resignation report to the semi-official Fars news agency, stating Farzin had attended a government economic meeting at the bank.

Tabatabaei linked the country's recent currency market fluctuations partly to overall economic conditions and temporary market factors, not solely to central bank leadership.

Iran's rial has depreciated sharply since the United States withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal in 2018 and reimposed sanctions. The U.S. dollar currently trades above 1,370,000 rials in the domestic market. Enditem