Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has blamed the United States for waging “economic war” against his country, following ongoing anti-government protests across Iran. While the demonstrations are spurred by a collapsing currency and rising prices, overseas observers suggest that protests are being coordinated by hardliners in an effort to oust the reformist president.
In a televised speech on Tuesday, President Rouhani called for unity to maintain confidence in the face of the growing economic woes. "I assure you that if we can safeguard these two assets – hope and trust [of the people] – we can overcome all problems," Rouhani said.
His comments came the day after a strike at the Tehran's Grand Bazaar spurred further anti-government protests across the Islamic republic, including a gathering outside the parliament which police dispersed with tear gas.
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The protesters primary grievance appears to be economic, with the rial dropping to a record low of 90,000 against the US dollar. Before US President Donald Trump withdrew from the nuclear deal in May, the dollar bought 65,000 rial, and at the end of last year 43,000.
In April, the government attempted to arrest the rial’s collapse by combining the official and black market rates and fixing it at 42,000 rials to the dollar, which produced a shortage of hard currency.
Business owners at the bazaar cited market volatility, the high costs of goods and a lack of customers as the reason for protests. “Bazaar merchants are worried about their future livelihood,” head of the Grand Bazaar administrative board Abdollah Esfandiari told the semi-official ISNA news agency.
Reports in local and social media suggest that the closure was ordered by the bazaar’s board of trustees, with analysts noting that these business owners have connections to political rivals of the reformist president.
“Some of these protests are being used almost as tools for some of these factions to advance their agenda,” said Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, the founder of Bourse & Bazaar, a media company focused on business in Iran. "The Bazaar is not just the marketplace of the people, it is a collection of economic actors in their own right with their own self-interest.”
Following a failed policy of rapprochement with the west, President Rouhani, who was reelected last year, is at odds with elements of the parliament, judiciary and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which operates independently of the government to help Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei uphold the ideals of the 1979 Islamic revolution.
“There’s a big tug of war going on between the hardliners and the Rouhani administration,” said Holly Dagres, an Iranian-American analyst and curator of the Iranist newsletter. “Rouhani wanted rapprochement with the west, to make a nuclear deal, and come in from the cold. But this isn’t in line with hardline ideology in Iran, which is to remain isolated and to oppose the west.”
President Rouhani had banked upon economic growth following the lifting of sanctions on Iran as part of the nuclear deal. But with the US imposing aggressive new sanctions, foreign banks are pulling out of the country, leaving little prospect of economic relief for Iran’s population.
“They [the protesters] all have legitimate grievances, including the state of the economy, rampant corruption, and a sense of hopelessness,” said Ms Dagres. “A mix of these things is creating a perfect storm that the IRGC and the hardliners are taking advantage of.
“This may be a way to try and oust the Rouhani administration.”
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD)
What is THAAD?
It is considered to be the US' most superior missile defence system.
Production:
It was first created in 2008.
Speed:
THAAD missiles can travel at over Mach 8, so fast that it is hypersonic.
Abilities:
THAAD is designed to take out projectiles, namely ballistic missiles, as they are on their downward trajectory towards their target, otherwise known as the "terminal phase".
Purpose:
To protect high-value strategic sites, such as airfields or population centres.
Range:
THAAD can target projectiles both inside and outside of the Earth's atmosphere, at an altitude of 93 miles above the Earth's surface.
Creators:
Lockheed Martin was originally granted the contract to develop the system in 1992. Defence company Raytheon sub-contracts to develop other major parts of the system, such as ground-based radar.
UAE and THAAD:
In 2011, the UAE became the first country outside of the US to buy two THAAD missile defence systems. It then deployed them in 2016, becoming the first Gulf country to do so.
The specs: 2019 Haval H6
Price, base: Dh69,900
Engine: 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 197hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 315Nm @ 2,000rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
Read more from Aya Iskandarani
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Profile
Company: Libra Project
Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware
Launch year: 2017
Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time
Sector: Renewable energy
Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
