Central Bank Governor Mahmoud Bahmani said the nation should limit imports to “necessary goods” to help lift domestic production and reduce the amount of hard currency exiting the country, the state-run daily newspaper Iran reported Tuesday.

…But analysts note that the sanctions have pressured the country by limiting foreign investment and restricting its ability, for example, to tap into the kind of funds needed to revamp its dilapidated oil sector. The country’s annual import bill, overall, tops $50 billion.