Iranian President Hassan Rouhani warned that the sudden decrease in oil prices in recent months is a plot hatched by the enemies against the regional people and Muslims.

"The fall of crude prices is not merely an economic issue, rather it is the result of certain states' political plot and planning," Rouhani said, addressing a cabinet meeting in Tehran on Wednesday.

"The decrease in oil price is a plot against the regional people and Muslims which merely serves the interests of some other countries," he added.

Stressing that the regional people will not forget these plots and betrayals against the Muslim world, Rouhani said, "Certainly, people will react to such schemes and the countries which have hatched this plot should know that they have just increased the Muslim world's hatred for themselves."

In relevant remarks on Sunday, President Rouhani downplayed the effects of falling oil price, and underlined his government's plans to boost non-oil exports to $50bln next year.

"One of the most important topics of the government's economic plans is increasing non-oil exports and this growth will help our economy," Rouhani said in Tehran, addressing an open session of the parliament in which he presented the budget bill for the next Iranian year (to start on March 21) to the legislative body.

"We hope to see a considerable share of non-oil exports next year and by continuing this trend, (the country' revenues from) non-oil exports will surpass $50bln," he added.

President Rouhani also said that the government is seriously pursuing development of the country's infrastructures and increase of economic growth.

Iran's Customs Administration announced in November that the country's non-oil exports had witnessed significant growth in the first seven months of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21- October 22).

The value of Iran's non-oil exports amounted to over $27 billion in the seven months of the current year, a report by the Customs Administration said.

It noted that 55 million tons of commodities have been exported during the same period.

Earlier this year, Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Mohammad Reza Nematzadeh announced that the country plans to further increase its non-oil exports.

Iran plans to augment exports of its non-oil commodities to $50bln by the end of the current Iranian year, Nematzadeh said, addressing a ceremony for inauguration of an investment project in Tehran.
 

News ID 187437