Economy & Environment

For years, young women from smaller cities and conservative families came to Tehran to study, to work, to breathe. Now, one by one, many are being forced to leave.

Iran has once again tapped its sovereign wealth reserves to fund essential imports, highlighting the growing strain on an economy battered by war, inflation and a rapidly weakening currency.

Iran’s water crisis did not begin with a “water mafia,” but with a state model built on self-sufficiency, laws that gave the government broad control over water, subsidized water, and mega-projects that turned scarcity into a map of conflict.

Iran’s foreign trade has suffered a sharp contraction in the first month of war with the United States and Israel, newly released customs data show, signaling a severe blow to the country’s already fragile economy.

Amid Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the ensuing US blockade, an old energy fantasy has resurfaced that cutting off a country’s oil exports works like flipping a switch. But reality is less cinematic and far more uncomfortable.

Recent tracking data suggesting Iran is still moving millions of barrels of crude despite a US naval blockade has raised fresh questions about the effectiveness of Washington’s effort to choke off Tehran’s oil exports.

As Washington and Tehran navigate a fragile ceasefire, one of the biggest questions looming over the conflict may not be about Iran at all—but China.

Iran’s economy is heading into a period of sharp deterioration following the March war, with mounting pressure from inflation, currency depreciation and damage to key industries raising the risk of a broader crisis.

Iran-UAE ties have unraveled over the past two months, beginning with Iranian airstrikes on Emirati targets during the US-led war and escalating into a crisis that now threatens one of Tehran’s most vital trade and financial channels.

After nearly two months of closure, Tehran’s stock market is preparing a phased reopening, but deep structural flaws, lack of transparency and uncertainty over US negotiations threaten to turn the restart into a fresh crisis.

Food prices surged and basic goods slipped out of reach across Iran, citizens told Iran International in recent days, describing shortages and daily price jumps following a ceasefire that has coincided with worsening economic conditions.

As uncertainty clouds the next round of Iran-US talks, the economic pain of the war is mounting inside Iran and beyond, increasing pressure on both sides to find a way out.

IRGC-linked Tasnim has pointedly mapped the Persian Gulf’s undersea internet cables and cloud infrastructure in what appears to be a thinly veiled warning that the region’s digital backbone may now be in Iran’s line of fire.

Iran is facing severe shortages of key petrochemical products after recent strikes on its main production hubs, according to two informed sources inside the country.

Iran’s economy is likely to buckle faster than the United States or the global economy under the combined pressure of war, sanctions, a US blockade and Tehran’s disruption of the Strait of Hormuz, experts said at Iran International’s townhall in Washington DC.

Malaysia’s Karex Bhd, the world’s largest condom producer, plans to raise prices by 20% to 30% and possibly more if supply chain disruptions linked to the Iran war persist, its chief executive told Reuters.

Fraudulent messages offering ships safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for cryptocurrency have been sent to some shipping companies, Reuters reported on Tuesday, citing a maritime security firm.

Bread shortages and steep price hikes are undermining access to a key staple for many in Iran, with citizen accounts received by Iran International describing long lines, flour shortages and prices far exceeding official rates.