Page 10 - ARUBA TODAY

A10 WORLD NEWS
Wednesday 8 august 2018

Iran weighs response as US sanctions bite

By AMIR VAHDAT fraud. On Tuesday, Iran's
MEHDI FATTAHI state-controlled television
Associated Press aired a 30-minute docu-
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — As Ira- mentary applauding the
nians awoke Tuesday to re- central bank's new eco-
newed U.S. sanctions that nomic decisions.
had been lifted by Tehran's The hard-line Keyhan news-
nuclear deal with world paper, which previously
powers, the question on lampooned Rouhani, bore
everyone's mind remained: his picture on the front
What happens now? page with a large head-
From deciphering President line quoting him saying:
Donald Trump's tweets on "The way we can surpass all
Iran — including one de- sanctions is to have unity."
manding "WORLD PEACE" But what to do next remains
— to trying to figure out an open question. Iran
how much their cratering continues to abide by the
currency is worth, Iranians nuclear deal it struck with
appear divided on how to the Obama administration
respond. and other world powers,
The same goes for their which limits its enrichment
theocratic government, of uranium in exchange for
which for now is abiding by the lifting of sanctions, and
the atomic accord. Presi- Various currencies are displayed without the going rate on a money exchange shop window in makes it impossible for Iran
dent Hassan Rouhani, a rel- downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2018. to quickly develop a nucle-
ative moderate whose ad- Associated Press ar weapon. Iran has always
ministration struck the 2015 said its nuclear program is
deal, has taken an increas- one agrees something has its "very limited" activities in percent out of a job. entirely peaceful.
ingly confrontational line in to be done soon, as spo- Iran and shuttering a repre- Iran's currency, the rial, In recent weeks, Iran has
recent weeks, applauded radic protests across the sentative office. European now trades over double its prominently displayed its
by hard-liners who had country of 80 million people companies had known government-set rate to the centrifuges and threat-
long opposed him. Then in only add to the pressure. since Trump's announce- U.S. dollar. Trying to stem ened to resume enriching
a speech on live television "The situation is not good ment in May that sanctions the loss, the Iranian govern- uranium at higher rates.
Monday night, Rouhani right now; nothing is clear," were coming back. Airbus ment five months ago shut At one point Rouhani re-
seemed to suggest that di- said Ebrahim Gholamne- at that time suspended down all private currency newed a long-standing Ira-
rect talks with Trump could jad, a 41-year-old carpen- plane deliveries to Iran; of exchange shops, but the nian threat to close off the
be possible. ter. "The economy is turning 98 orders, only one A321 black market has thrived. Strait of Hormuz, through
That's something North Ko- into a jungle." had been delivered, plus On Tuesday, central bank which a third of all oil trad-
rean Foreign Minister Ri The newly imposed Ameri- two A330s that were sold chief Abdolnasser Hem- ed by sea passes.
Yong-hu, who visited Teh- can sanctions target U.S. to a company that leased mati allowed private cur- Trump for his part has rico-
ran on Tuesday and met dollar financial transac- them to an Iranian custom- rency exchanges to re- cheted between threats
with its leadership, knows tions, Iran's automotive er. open. Shops welcomed and promises to speak with
firsthand. sector, and the purchase As uncertainty over the Iran customers, though some Iranian officials without pre-
Whether Iran should of commercial planes and nuclear deal grew after displayed no exchange conditions, offering mixed
choose a North Korea-style metals, including gold. Trump entered the White rates late into the morning messages to both the Ira-
photo-op with the Ameri- Even stronger sanctions tar- House, Iran's already-ane- amid confusion over how nian public and its govern-
can president who backed geting Iran's oil sector and mic economy nosedived. much the troubled rial was ment. That continued Tues-
out of the nuclear deal or central bank are to be re- The country's monthly infla- truly worth. day, as he described Amer-
abandon the unraveling imposed in early Novem- tion rate has hit double dig- Iranian authorities recently ican actions in a tweet as
accord and increase its ber. its again and the national arrested 45 people, in- "the most biting sanctions
uranium enrichment re- On Tuesday, German car unemployment rate is 12.5 cluding the central bank's ever imposed, and in No-
mains a fiercely debated and truck maker Daimler percent. Among youth, it is deputy chief, as part of a vember they ratchet up to
question in Iran. But every- AG said it was suspending even worse, with around 25 crackdown on financial yet another level."q