Economy

VOA — Civil servants in one of Iran’s most powerful sectors, the judiciary, held rare demonstrations on Sunday against the government’s refusal to increase their pay. Ultraconservative President Ebrahim Raisi, who assumed his post in August, had proposed a salary hike in the last weeks of his previous job as judicial chief. But the new government which he leads changed its …

Iran-HRM – While rents in Tehran and its suburbs have risen by more than 50 percent, according to the central bank, official reports from the capital suggest that some people are forced to sleep in high-speed buses at nights. According to state-run Tejarat News website, homeless Iranian men have taken to sleeping in Tehran buses for 12-25k tomans (under$1) a …

iranintl – A conservative newspaper in Tehran warned on Sunday that if the government’s proposed new budget is adopted it might lead to a “major social explosion.” “If the government’s budget bill for the next Iranian year, [starting late March] is implemented, it will create a lot of problems for the people and might lead to a major social explosion …

Iranwire – The outlook of any future revival of the JCPOA remains opaque. In the meantime, the Islamic Republic is in desperate need of oil revenues. Officials from different arms of government and industry have been drafted in to help maintain a shady, mostly secret set of mechanisms for the ongoing sale of Iranian oil. When these covert activities occasionally …

Iranwire – “Unfortunately, according to statistics, Tehran is the most expensive capital in the world in terms of house prices,” Esmaeil Hosseinzehi, deputy chairman of the Iranian parliament’s Development Committee , told ISNA news agency on December 11, 2001. “Some people who lost their capital in the stock market have today brought the rest it into the housing market, with a view …

Iran’s parliament passed legislation on December 15 to raise teachers’ salaries following several days of countrywide protests and a strike that impacted the Islamic republic’s education system.The legislation had initially obtained emergency approval on December 14 following a three-day strike by thousands of teachers and educators that culminated with hundreds of demonstrators gathering in front of the parliament building in Tehran on …

Iranwire – With a jump in foreign exchange prices in the open market in Iran, prices in the official market and the Integrated Currency Trading System (NIMA) market have relatively stabilized. But how reliable is such stability, and who will benefit? In the last few days, the gap between the price of the dollar in the open market and that …

Iranwire – A head of state’s performance during their first 100 days in office is often considered pivotal. Not because this very short window is commensurate with the time needed to achieve their economic goals, but as an indicator of their overall approach. It’s been customary in Iranian political circles appraise a president’s first 100 days since the time of …

Al-Monitor – Ehsan Khandoozi, Iran’s minister of finance and economic affairs, has outlined details of an “economic roadmap” to address the country’s economic ills. The goals and timeline had been published in June, but experts were waiting for detailed actions to be published. In the meantime, comments by the minister as well as an initial assessment of the plan reveal more about …

Iranwire – In late September, the International Court of Arbitration in Paris awarded Dana Gas, a subsidiary of the Emirati company Crescent Petroleum, $607.5 million over a decades-long dispute with Iran’s National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). The deal, signed in 2001 by Bijan Namdar Zangeneh, the oil minister under President Khatami, was unilaterally terminated by the Ahmadinejad administration in 2005 just as …