One well-placed source close to Germany’s national banking system, who did not wish to be named, even told Forbes.com that there had been “no indication” of any withdrawal of Iranian assets or activity as described in the Iranian press.
According to Iranian weekly Sharvand-e Ermouz, citing a top foreign ministry official in charge of economic affairs, Iran has withdrawn $75.0 billion in foreign assets that were in danger of being blocked under punitive sanctions. The official, Mohsen Talaie, reportedly specified that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad had ordered the transfer, with part of the assets going into gold and equities, and the rest going to Asian banks.
