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Former Iran Central Bank chairman denies ever meeting Zarrab

The former head of Iran’s Central Bank said he never met with jailed Turkish-Iranian tycoon Reza Zarrab.

EDITORS' NOTE:  Reuters and other foreign media are subject to Iranian restrictions on their ability to film or take pictures in Tehran.

Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Mahmoud Bahmani speaks with journalists during a news conference in Tehran August 8, 2010. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi (IRAN - Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS) - GM1E6881H8501
Governor of the Central Bank of Iran Mahmoud Bahmani speaks with journalists during a news conference, Tehran, Iran, Aug. 8, 2010. — REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi

Iran’s former Central Bank head Mahmoud Bahmani, reacting to Iranian-Turkish tycoon Reza Zarrab’s recent statements in a US court, says he never met with Zarrab.

In his testimony in a New York trial, Zarrab, who was arrested in the United States on March 19, 2016, explained how he helped Iran bypass US sanctions. He said he had meetings with Bahmani and had ties with former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

During Ahmadinejad’s 2005-2013 presidency, Iran was under heavy sanctions over its nuclear program. Following the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, all nuclear-related sanctions against Iran were lifted.

In an interview with the semi-official ISNA news agency Dec. 12, Bahmani said he had had no meetings with Zarrab.

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