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Iranian president says US waging economic war

Rouhani blamed the US for Iran’s economic woes, saying “the US cannot defeat our nation. 

By: AP and World Israel News Staff

Iran’s president says his country is in an economic fight with the US.

In a televised speech on Tuesday, Hassan Rouhani said the US is trying to damage Iran’s economy by creating “an economic war.”

Rouhani’s comments come a day after protesters, angered by Iran’s tanking economy, confronted police in front of parliament. It was the first such confrontation since similar demonstrations rocked the country at the start of the year.

Demonstrations continued Tuesday, not just in Tehran but also in a number of other cities throughout Iran.

Iran’s semi-official news agencies, Fars, ISNA and Tasnim, described the protests at the Grand Bazaar as erupting after the Iranian rial dropped to 90,000 to the dollar on the country’s black market, despite government attempts to control the currency rate.

The rial was trading at a rate of 65,000 to the dollar before President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers and restore sanctions on the country.

Rouhani blamed the US for Iran’s economic woes, saying “the US cannot defeat our nation. Our enemies are not able to get us to their knees.”