Iran’s economy has become stronger: Ahmadinejad

TEHRAN,July 8(MNA) – A ceremony was held in Tehran on Sunday to honor the efforts of the administration of outgoing President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad during his two consecutive four-year terms in office. In a speech during the ceremony, Ahmadinejad defended his administration’s performance in all areas. Iran’s economy has become stronger and can deal with fluctuations more effectively, Ahmadinejad said. “The sanctions have been countered so far, and I believe that tougher sanctions can also be countered,” he added. Elsewhere in his remarks, the president said that his administration had adopted a “very active” and “influential” foreign policy. In a televised interview on Thursday, Ahmadinejad said that Iran’s foreign reserves, which are over $100 billion, are a gift to the next administrations. “Our (foreign currency) reserves are over $100 billion, of course if we include gold reserves,” Ahmadinejad said at the time. Ahmadinejad will hand over the presidency to Hassan Rohani in August.