Economy

gatestoneinstitute.org – The Biden administration’s weak leadership — to hold accountable those who are violating Iran sanctions — is likely a critical reason the Iranian regime is flamboyantly ignoring the US and forging ahead — soon, most likely, to become a nuclear state. Presumably to take even further advantage of the Biden administration’s weak leadership, the Iranian regime is also …

RFL/RE – Iranians are consuming fewer fruits and vegetables as skyrocketing prices shake the country’s food security.Ismail Moradian, the vice-president of the Fruit and Vegetable Sellers Association, told the ILNA news agency on June 22 that consumption has decreased by between 25 and 30 percent because of price rises and the implementation of the economic policies of President Ebrahim Raisi’s government.“Many people …

RFL/RE – Workers on scaffolding projects in the oil, gas and petrochemical industries have joined in Iran’s nationwide labor unrest, striking for higher wages and more structured working hours.The Free Trade Union of Iran launched the action on June 22, repeating similar demands they made last year during a long strike that eventually saw the implementation of the measures several companies, …

RFL/RE – The last time Iran attempted to produce its own passenger planes to upgrade its aging commercial fleet, the effort barely got off the ground before it was doomed by a series of deadly crashes.Now, with nearly half of Iran’s passenger aircraft grounded due to the lack of spare parts, the idea has taken flight again.Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization …

Iranwire – On June 16, Iran’s Economic Security Police announced that a ban on futures trading in foreign currency, gold and other precious metals had come into effect in Iran. Deputy police chief Brigadier General Sohrab Bahrami said officers had arrested 31 “profiteers” running illegal futures dealerships. From now on, he said, all such business was considered gambling and therefore illegal, and …

RFL/RE – Workers in the industrial town of Mahmoudabad in Isfahan continued their strike for a third consecutive day as a wave of unrest across Iran over living and work conditions shows no signs of letting up. Truck drivers in Tehran rallied in the capital on June 20, while more than 300,000 stone factory workers in the industrial town of Isfahan remained off …

Iranwire -The brother of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani has cast doubt on a recent, wild claim by Iranian state TV that Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei lived in a storage container for the first few years of his leadership. Mohammad Hashemi, a revolution-era politician and member of the Expediency Council from 2007 until 2012, made the remarks to IranWatch on Friday. It …

Al-Monitor – Iran and Russia signed a memorandum of understanding today concerning the establishment of mutual trade centers.  One center will be located in the Iranian capital, Tehran, and the other in Russia’s Baltic port city St. Petersburg. They will facilitate trade between the two countries in the energy, transportation, electronics, agriculture, food, pharmaceuticals and construction sectors. The goals of …

RFL/RE – Local media in Iran say public institutions such as hospital, prisons, and child-care centers are facing possible food shortages due to skyrocketing prices. The Tehran-based Etemad newspaper reported on June 15 that the impending “problem” could hit in “the coming weeks” and that “food supplies will be disrupted not only in hospitals but also in other government facilities such as …

Al-Monitor – If Iran and world powers fail to salvage the landmark nuclear agreement, the Biden administration warned Thursday that it will continue to use its sanctions authorities to crack down on Iran’s petroleum exports.  The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control unveiled sanctions on a network of Iranian petrochemical producers as well as front companies in China and the United Arab …