Iran’s Mohebbi accuses US of using nuclear programme to ‘plunder Iran’s wealth’

Iran’s currency fell to a new record low on Tuesday, with traders in Tehran exchanging more than 2.5 million rials for one US dollar. The latest fall reflects the growing economic pressure on Iran as the war in the Middle East continues. The rial had previously hit a record low of around 2.2 million to the dollar on September 2. Just 27 days later, the currency has fallen to another historic low. Since the war began in February, the Iranian currency has repeatedly reached new lows.

Iran’s economy had already been under pressure for years because of international sanctions. The US naval blockade on Iranian oil and new sanctions imposed since the start of the war have added to those pressures, sending the economy into further decline.

Iran’s top diplomat raises prospect of new talks

Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said indirect negotiations with the United States over reopening the strategically important Strait of Hormuz have become more serious. Araghchi told Iranian media late on Monday that the current focus of the discussions was solely on the Strait of Hormuz, a key chokepoint in the conflict.

He made the comments shortly before leaving New York, where he had attended the United Nations General Assembly, and after meeting Pakistani and Qatari mediators. Araghchi said Qatari intermediaries were expected to engage with the US side again. According to him, the US response would then be conveyed to Tehran, after which Iran would make a decision.

Officials, including US officials, have confirmed that mediators are working with Iran and the US in an effort to broker an agreement to end the fighting and reopen the strait. The mediation efforts are continuing despite US President Donald Trump’s rejection earlier this week of an Iranian proposal. Under the proposal, Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz within seven days if the US agreed to lift its blockade of Iranian ports, release frozen Iranian assets and waive sanctions on Iranian oil sales, among other conditions.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard appeals to Americans

Amid the diplomatic efforts, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps spokesperson General Hossein Mohebbi on Tuesday appealed to Americans to pressure their government to end the war against Iran. Speaking at a press conference in Tehran, Mohebbi called on Americans to take to the streets and protest the conflict. He claimed that the only way to end the war was for Washington to acknowledge defeat and leave the Middle East.

Mohebbi also accused the US of using Iran’s nuclear programme as a pretext to “plunder Iran’s wealth” and turn the country “back into a colony”. He further claimed that military and economic pressure had failed to force Tehran to submit.

His remarks came weeks before the US midterm elections, with the conflict and its impact on fuel prices emerging as issues for American voters.

Trump administration says Iran cannot sustain war

US President Donald Trump and his senior aides have maintained that Iran’s economy cannot sustain the conflict for much longer and have expressed confidence that Tehran will eventually be forced to capitulate. Trump had predicted shortly after launching the war that the conflict would last only a matter of weeks. More recently, he has said the war will likely end after the November elections in the US.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, speaking on Fox News on Monday, said Iran was heading towards an economic “cataclysm”. US administration officials have said new sanctions and the naval blockade aimed at preventing Iranian oil from reaching international markets are having the intended effect.

Rubio argued that restricting Iran’s oil revenue and imposing sanctions would limit the country’s access to funds that the US says could be used for military activities, weapons development and its nuclear programme.

(With inputs from AP)

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