DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Lines outside gas stations across Tehran have grown in recent weeks as the United States tightened and threatened a blockade. tougher sanctionssome people wait for more than two hours until the place is full.
The uncertainty deepened when U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Tuesday: completely cut off the country From the world economy. Iranian officials have mentioned in recent days the possibility of cutting heavy gas subsidies to withstand the tightening of the blockade.
“We will probably face fuel shortages,” says Hashem Abadi, a 34-year-old barber. “When the tank is about half full, I rush to the gas station.”
The latest U.S. steps are aimed at extracting concessions from the Islamic Republic nearly six months after the president started the war. donald trump And Israel. the war is over hurt Iran’s economy and caused suffering to ordinary people. But there is no sign yet that it has brought Iranian leaders to their knees or that it will reignite the Iranian conflict. anti-government protests It shook the country in January.
The shelves are full but the pockets are empty
Lines were long long before Bessent’s announcement amidst staffing shortages due to the U.S. blockade and existing sanctions. And with double-digit inflation and a record-low currency, the rial, Iranians are struggling to buy more than fuel.
Mahmoud Chabosi, a 51-year-old taxi driver, said, “My car will sell for a high price in the near future, so I’m filling it up with gas as much as I can.” “Everything I buy has gone up in price over the past week, from milk to pasta.”
There was no such assortment outside of banks, and while grocery stores and pharmacies were still well stocked, customers complained that they had less money to buy. Inflation soared during the war, and the currency depreciated. record low Prior to Bessent’s announcement.
“Some of our regular customers buy now and pay later because their pockets are not as deep as before,” said Morteza Daryani, who runs a grocery store in Tehran.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States of resorting to economic pressure. failed to defeat Iran militarily. He said Iran was trying to create “social problems and economic discontent in order to throw Iran into chaos.”
“Should we bow down to the problem and surrender? Absolutely not,” the semi-official Fars and Tasnim news agencies said.
No signs of anxiety, but limited resilience
There is still no sign that economic grievances have turned into protests in Iran, and authorities violently suppressed demonstrations earlier this year. kill thousands of people.
Iran has been subject to severe international sanctions for decades due to: Its nuclear development program and support for armed groups. Oil sales to China have long been a lifeline, but it is unclear whether the United States will be able to cut off oil sales to China.
Still, “there are always limits to resistance and resilience,” said Mohammad Farzanegan, professor of Middle East economics at the University of Marburg in Germany.
“People are losing purchasing power every day,” he says. “Add to all this the psychological strain of a worsening diplomatic outlook and increased pressure, and frustration may rise to the point where it can no longer be effectively managed by the state.”
Esfandyar Batmanghelidzi, head of the Stock Exchange and Bazaar Foundation, a think tank focused on Iran’s economy, said the sectors Bessent threatened to target “are not the lifeblood of the Iranian state, but the lifeblood of the Iranian people.”
In an analysis posted on
UAE’s decision to sever trade ties could be a huge blow
The most effective economic pressure at present is through naval blockades.
However, last week’s announcement from the United Arab Emirates: cut off all trade Sasha Bruchman, an analyst at the Bahrain Middle East office of the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said financial transactions with Iran could have long-term consequences if the country pursues them.
Bessent on Monday threatened secondary U.S. sanctions on countries doing business with Iran, suggesting it was pressure from the U.S. government that led the UAE to its decision.
“The actions they took last week are not coincidental and are likely to be causal,” he said. “As we continue to engage, we expect a wide range of countries to take similar actions.”
Iran is exerting its own pressure by largely shutting down Iran. Strait of Hormuzan important waterway that carried one-fifth of the world’s oil and gas before the war. The company is betting that the impact on the global economy and on U.S. gas prices ahead of the midterm elections will force Trump to back out.
“President Trump is betting that his time will run out first with the naval blockade,” Bruchman said. “Both clocks are ticking, but no one knows which clock is correct.”
