Iran is transferring its assets
from European accounts to other foreign banks to try to pre-empt
possible UN sanctions over its nuclear programme, a senior Iranian
official said.
The official confirmed comments from
Ebrahim Sheibani, the governor of the Central Bank, which were
carried on the Iranian ISNA student news agency, that Iran had
started transferring funds. There were no details as to where the
funds might be heading. Mr Sheibani said: We transfer foreign
reserves to wherever we see as expedient.
The Asharq al-Awsat Arabic daily said that the Supreme
National Security Council had ordered that $8 billion (£4.5
billion), about a quarter of its overseas assets, be moved to
Singapore, Shanghai, Malaysia and Hong Kong.
Iranian overseas holdings are thought to top $30 billion, of
which $4.1 billion was in Britain at the end of September, according
to Bank of England
data.
