Iran is in a deep economic crisis caused by corruption, mismanagement and international sanctions.

In order to collapse Iran's oil exports and put pressure on its currency, President Donald Trump has restored the US's "maximum pressure" campaign since his return to the White House.

"We can clearly feel that we are getting poorer from month to month," said Narges, who asked to be referred to by a pseudonym to protect her identity.

Narges is a 36-year-old artist who lives in Iran's southeastern Sistan and Baluchestan province — one of the country's poorest, despite being rich in resources such as gold, silver, copper and other metals.

She belongs to a generation of women who, thanks to online platforms and social media, are standing on their own feet financially, despite all the restrictions in the labor market.

"Many of us work either in the service sector or in small craft businesses that have fewer and fewer customers," she told DW. Their income, generated from selling home-made products online, plays a crucial role for their families.

The Baloch — a Sunni minority in an otherwise predominantly Shiite country — suffer from drought and water shortages, and have complained for decades about systematic discrimination by the clerical regime in Tehran.

"The current economic crisis has pushed even more families below the poverty line," Narges said.

When resources become scarce, women are the ones who tend to decide how the family money is spent. And they often put their loved ones' needs above their own, going without when necessary.

Since Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian took office in August 2024, the Iranian currency has plunged in value — losing around 50% of its value in less than a year. The........

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