Economy

Al-Monitor – Iran has been ramping up trade with members of the BRICS group, as Tehran looks to join the five-nation alliance that is often seen as an alternative to the Western economic and political hegemony.  BRICS is comprised of the emerging economies of Brazil, China, India, Russia and South Africa. The alliance accounts for 42% of the global population and about …

gatestoneinstitute.org – Iranian workers… have launched a series of strikes and sit-ins to protest what they regard as “systemic exploitation.” By the time of this writing, over 100,000 workers were on strike in 122 businesses in 35 cities, relatively small numbers yet significant for two reasons: the protests seem to be spreading and the strikes begin to affect the nerve-centers …

Iranwire – Iran’s most prominent Sunni cleric again used his Friday sermon to criticize the Islamic Republic’s policies, saying that the intensifying economic crisis has impoverished many Iranians. “You have missed all opportunities to solve the nuclear crisis and have failed to address the issue of sanctions,” Molavi Abdulhamid, the Sunni Friday prayer leader of the south-eastern city of Zahedan, …

Al-Monitor — A senior official at Iran’s Labor Ministry was sacked after he drew the anger of his superiors with remarks on the severity of Iran’s economic crisis and how it may force the government to sell off valuable territory.   “We once lost 300,000 martyrs not to lose a handspan of our territory,” the official, Sajjad Padam, said in an interview published …

VOA – The presidents of Iran and Syria signed Wednesday a series of long-term cooperation agreements on oil and other sectors to bolster economic ties between the two allies. Iran’s Ebrahim Raisi, leading a large economic and political delegation, met with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar Assad, after landing in the war-torn country for a two-day visit—an Iranian president’s first visit …

RFL/RE – The authorities in Iran have closed hundreds of small businesses, including cafes and restaurants, in recent months for allegedly failing to enforce the country’s hijab law on their customers. In recent weeks, the authorities have turned their attention to big businesses, including a major shopping mall, as they intensify their efforts to impose the compulsory head scarf. Tehran’s Opal …

Iranwire – Workers and retirees took to the streets of cities across Iran on International Workers’ Day to protest the Islamic Republic’s failure to meet their demands. According to information obtained by IranWire, retirees gathered outside labor and social security departments on May 1 in Ahvaz, Shush, Dezful, Kermanshah, Kerman, Sanandaj, Sari, and Rasht. Meanwhile, workers at more than 110 …

VOA —Iran’s parliament voted to dismiss the minister of Industry, Mines and Trade Sunday. Amid allegations of mismanagement and widespread dissatisfaction with rising prices, especially in the car market, Reza Fatemi Amin was forced from his position, with 162 of the 272 lawmakers present voting to oust him. There are 290 seats in parliament. Last year, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali …

VOA —Four thousand Iranian petrochemical workers on strike over pay and conditions in an energy-producing region of the country’s south will be sacked and replaced, state media reported. The employees in Bushehr province have demanded salary increases and improved conditions for accommodation and transport, an official in charge of the Islamic republic’s oil and gas sector in the region was …

Iranwire – The CEO of the Pars Energy Special Economic Zones has threatened striking workers with replacement by a new workforce, as labor strikes spread across 90 cities in Iran on April 28.  Sekhawat Asadi told workers who were on strike that they would be replaced by at least “4,000 new workers,” the official state news agency IRNA reported.  Workers …