Is Iran’s Economy Sliding?

by Djavad Salehi-Isfahani Last April, in a column for this blog I predicted that sanctions are very unlikely to force Iran to renegotiate the multilateral nuclear deal known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). In particular, I argued that… Continue Reading

The Unimportance of New Oil Sanctions

by Djavad Salehi-Isfahani The decision by the Trump administration not to renew the temporary waivers that had allowed eight countries to continue to import Iranian oil will further reduce Iranian oil sales and worsen Iran’s already difficult economic situation. But… Continue Reading

Iran Sanctions: How Deep Will They Bite?

by Djavad Salehi-Isfahani For anyone watching the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League final, hosted in Tehran’s Azadi stadium on Saturday, the only disappointment was the nil-nil score that denied Iran’s team first place in Asia. The stadium scene was… Continue Reading

Bazaar Protest Sign of Iranian Pessimism

by Djavad Salehi-Isfahani It’s not every day that Iran’s bazaar merchants close their shops to protest high prices. They are of course not protesting the high price of bread or chicken, whose prices have not increased, but of dollars, which… Continue Reading

Did Bad Economic Conditions Cause Iran’s protests?

by Djavad Salehi-Isfahani Like other Iranian president before him, President Hassan Rouhani is having a bad second term. Only six months after his decisive re-election, protesters were in streets shouting “Death to Rouhani.” Then came a sharp fall in the… Continue Reading