US Naval Blockade Pushes Iran's Economy to Brink

The economic crisis in Iran has deepened significantly over the past six months due to a near-total oil export blockade imposed by the US military. The Iranian economy is facing severe constraints, including a shortage of foreign currency reserves and access to US dollars.

US forces have redirected 86 commercial vessels from Iran and disabled three others as part of their efforts to enforce the blockade. This has exacerbated pre-existing economic pain that led to riots across the country in January.

The Iranian rial has hit a record low against the dollar, with one rial now equivalent to 2.2 million dollars. The official unemployment rate has risen to 9.1%, and inflation has reached 69.9% over the past year.