Iranian economists criticize Ahmadinejad

AP: Iranian newspapers are reporting that 60 economists criticized President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over his economic policies.

The Associated Press

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — Iranian newspapers are reporting that 60 economists criticized President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad over his economic policies.

In a letter published Sunday, the economists complain that the government's "tension-making interaction with outside world" has deprived Iran from foreign investments.

The economists also criticize Ahmadinejad for Iran's 30 percent inflation rate. The economists are independent, with most working at universities.

The letter is the third from economists to Ahmadinejad in recent years. The president never formally answered the others, published in 2006 and 2007.

Some say Ahmadinejad's efforts to inject liquidity into the economy to create jobs led to higher inflation.