IRI's next year budget not affected by sanctions - VP

Latest round of Western sanctions against Iran has had no impact on the country’s fiscal budget for the upcoming Iranian year, Vice President for Parliamentary Affairs Sayyed Mohammad-Reza Mir-Tajeddini said. “Enemy sanctions against Iran will have no effect on the country’s budget for 1391 [according to the Persian calendar year] (beginning March 20, 2012),” Press TV quoted Mir-Tajeddini as saying on Saturday. He pointed out that next year’s fiscal budget has been drawn up in a way to meet the country’s requirements under all circumstances, reiterating that Iran is prepared to counter any impact by the US-led sanctions, no matter how severe they may be. The senior official downplayed the upshots of the embargoes and argued that the West’s economic pressures have driven Iran towards self-sufficiency and stimulated the ingenuity of Iranian experts.