Iran’s government spokesman resigned on Tuesday, he said
in a tweet, as President Hassan Rouhani comes under pressure from hardline
rivals to change his cabinet following the deterioration in relations with the
United States, Reuters has said.
Mohammad Bagher Nobakht said Rouhani had accepted his resignation and that he would focus on his duties as head of Iran’s Management and Planning Organization.
Hardline elements have pressed Rouhani to reshuffle his economic team to better shield the economy from Trump’s moves and tamp down public discontent.
Rouhani appointed a new central bank governor last week to tackle the rial currency’s plunge in value under heightened U.S. pressure.
The new appointment suggests Rouhani, who has mostly touted the moderate economic successes of his tenure since global sanctions were lifted under the nuclear deal, is conceding a need for change to defuse criticism.
The rial plumbed new depths on Monday, dropping past 120,000 per U.S. dollar, but Trump’s expressed willingness to negotiate with Tehran sparked a minor recovery on Tuesday, to 110,000 rials on the unofficial market.
Mohammad Bagher Nobakht said Rouhani had accepted his resignation and that he would focus on his duties as head of Iran’s Management and Planning Organization.
Hardline elements have pressed Rouhani to reshuffle his economic team to better shield the economy from Trump’s moves and tamp down public discontent.
Rouhani appointed a new central bank governor last week to tackle the rial currency’s plunge in value under heightened U.S. pressure.
The new appointment suggests Rouhani, who has mostly touted the moderate economic successes of his tenure since global sanctions were lifted under the nuclear deal, is conceding a need for change to defuse criticism.
The rial plumbed new depths on Monday, dropping past 120,000 per U.S. dollar, but Trump’s expressed willingness to negotiate with Tehran sparked a minor recovery on Tuesday, to 110,000 rials on the unofficial market.
