Rezaei to turn Hormozgan into trade zone

Independent presidential candidate Mohsen Rezaei says he will turn Iran™s southern province of Hormozgan into a special economic zone if elected president in the forthcoming election.

Outlining his plan in an address to a group of people at Fatemiyeh Mosque of Bandar Abbas port city on Monday, Rezaei said he would mainly focus on fighting poverty and unemployment in Iran.

He argued that the depreciation of Iran™s national currency, rial, should not have happened in the first place, adding that it is possible to fix the economy and strengthen the rial through proper planning and management.

Rezaei, however, stressed that such an ideal cannot be realized overnight.

In Iran™s June 14 election, Rezaei will be competing with Tehran Mayor Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, President of the Center for Strategic Research of the Expediency Council Hassan Rohani, lawmaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Saeed Jalili, former Foreign Minister Ali Akbar Velayati, former First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref, and former Telecommunications Minister Mohammad Gharazi.

The president of Iran is elected for a four-year term in a national election after the Guardian Council vets the candidates.

MP/KA/SS