Iran's Audit Court: Central Bank's 77 Trillion Toman Profit in FY 1404 Reflects Imbalances, Not Real Earnings

Iran's Supreme Audit Court said on Saturday, August 22, 2026, that its review of the Central Bank's fiscal year 1404 (ended March 2026) financial statements ranks the bank among the most profitable state-owned entities. According to the Court, most of the 77 trillion toman profit came from the rial's sharp depreciation, revaluation gains on foreign-currency assets, gold sales, and income the Central Bank earned from repo operations that supply liquidity to commercial banks against bonds, and does not reflect genuine profitability but rather the country's monetary and fiscal imbalances.

Mohsen Barzoozadeh, the Audit Court's former deputy for technical and economic affairs, said the law behind Iran's seventh development plan requires such foreign-currency gains and losses to be booked as reserves rather than distributable profit. He added that the Central Bank has not settled foreign-currency oil revenue with the government since 1398 (2019/2020).