Iranian finance minister fired amid spiraling economic crisis
Iran’s parliament sacked the country’s finance minister on Sunday after impeaching him over soaring inflation and a plunging currency, state television reported.
Economy and Finance Minister Abdolnaser Hemmati lost a vote of confidence, with 182 of 273 parliamentarians present backing his removal.
The decision comes amid rising tensions over Iran’s nuclear program and worsening relations with the West.
Iran’s economy has been severely affected by international sanctions, especially after the US withdrew from the 2015 nuclear deal. In 2015, the rial was worth 32,000 to the dollar, but by July, it had plummeted to 584,000. It dropped even further recently, with exchange shops in Tehran trading 930,000 rials for each dollar.
The deal, formally called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, provided for an easing of sanctions and the return of Western investment to Iran for increased limits on the country’s nuclear activities.
Earlier, President Masoud Pezeshkian defended Hemmati, a former central bank governor, telling lawmakers: “We are in a full-scale........
© The Times of Israel
