Spotlight on Iran
Spotlight on Iran
Spotlight on Iran
Spotlight on Iran
Protest demonstration at the Tehran International Airport (IRNA, January 29)
Islamic Awakening and Youths Conference convenes in Tehran
Rooz Online, January 25
Temporary marriage
Foreign exchange market on first day after rial’s devaluation
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Highlights of the week
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Mixed reactions to IAEA inspectors’ visit to Iran
A delegation of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors arrived in Iran earlier this week. The delegation’s arrival at the Tehran International Airport was marked by a protest demonstration of young Iranians who carried photographs of the nuclear scientists assassinated this past year and signs saying that "Nuclear energy is our full right”.
On the eve of the delegation’s visit, Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi expressed optimism over its results, and announced that Iran is committed to full transparency on its nuclear activities and has nothing to hide. Majles Speaker Ali Larijani said that the delegation’s visit is a test for the IAEA’s conduct and will be an important factor for Iran to consider when making a decision about its future cooperation with that organization.
Most of Iran’s media outlets provided a mixed view of the inspection delegation’s visit. The conservative daily Jam-e Jam defined it as an opportunity to renew Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA, saying that if its inspectors adopt an appropriate attitude towards Iran, the nuclear issue can be closed and the misunderstandings surrounding it can be removed once and for all. The daily took issue with the fact that, while Western countries put pressure on Iran, which has always been committed to the NPT, they do not allow Israel to open the doors of its nuclear facilities to IAEA inspectors.
Earlier this week, IRNA, the government-run news agency, released a list of replies to 20 possible questions that might be brought up by the IAEA inspectors. The aim of the replies is to stress that the IAEA has found no evidence to suggest that the Iranian nuclear program is for military purposes, and that Iran has fulfilled all of its legal obligations with regard to the supervision of its nuclear activities.
On the backdrop of the assassinations of nuclear scientists and Iran’s claims that the IAEA provided Western intelligence services with sensitive information on these scientists, the Iranian media has emphasized the need to exercise caution when it comes to exposing the identity of nuclear scientists to the IAEA inspectors. Hossein Naqavi, a member of the Majles National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said this week that Iran allowed the inspectors to enter after they had guaranteed that they would not give any information on its nuclear scientists.
Iran and the uprisings in the Arab world:
Islamic Awakening and Youths Conference convenes in Tehran
An international conference titled Islamic Awakening and Youths convened in Tehran this week. The two-day conference was attended by over 1,200 participants from 73 countries, and is yet another example of Tehran’s efforts to take advantage of the developments in the Arab world to reinforce its status in the region.
In a speech given to the conference goers, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei defined the uprisings in the Arab world as a prelude to the uprising against "the Zionist network of global tyranny”. He said that, throughout its history, mankind has been through all schools of thought and ideologies, and is now at the beginning of a new era whose major characteristic is that the nations are turning to God. The current century, Khamenei said, is the century of Islam.
He noted that the Zionists, the United States, and Western powers feel helpless over the Islamic awakening, and that the feeling is likely to grow. According to Khamenei, the West is trying to stir up discord among Muslim nations, but the Islamic awakening movement makes no distinction between Shi’ites and Sunnis. Despite their geographic, historic, and social differences, Muslim nations are united in their struggle against Zionist and American control, and will not accept the existence of the "Israeli cancerous tumor”.
In the inauguration speech, President Ahmadinejad focused once again on attacking Israel and the "Western hegemony”. He claimed that the establishment of the "Zionist regime” in the midst of the Middle East was a Western conspiracy designed to entrench Western control of the region. All problems facing the region’s nations have their source in the Zionist regime and the Western hegemony, which is also the reason why the Arab world has been ruled by dictatorships. He warned the region’s countries against trusting the West, which aspires to foment division and religious and ethnic conflicts in the region to rescue the "Zionist regime”.
In his speech, Ali-Akbar Velayati, the Supreme Leader’s advisor on international affairs, also articulated the view held by regime leaders, according to which the developments in the Arab world are an expression of the fall of the West and the rise of Islam. The Islamic awakening, Velayati said, is the Muslims’ answer to hundreds of years of Western colonialism. It is not a recent phenomenon but rather a movement that began 150 years ago and has now entered a new phase due to the developments in the Arab world, which have their roots in Islamic identity.
Currency stabilization efforts have limited impact; blame for ongoing crisis on foreign exchange market shifted around
In an attempt to curb the slide of the rial against the dollar, last Thursday, January 26, Mohammad Bahmani, the governor of Iran’s Central Bank, announced a 8.5 percent depreciation of the rial starting January 28. The dollar’s official exchange rate was set at 12,260 rials to the dollar. In a TV interview, Bahmani said that foreign currency traders on the free market can sell dollars for no more than 3 to 5 percent higher than the official exchange rate. He warned that traders who are found selling dollars for a higher price will lose their license. A special announcement released by the Central Bank called on citizens to report any problem encountered when purchasing foreign currency from banks and traders. On Tuesday, January 31, Fars News Agency reported that a number of foreign currency traders were arrested by the Tehran police.
In addition, the Central Bank announced that the interest rate on five-year investments will increase to 20 percent. The decision was made by the Finance and Interest Council after President Ahmadinejad removed his objection to raise the interest rate in order to help curb the dollar. These two decisions had the effect of bringing the dollar to below the 20,000 rial level on the free market. The actual exchange rate, however, is still considerably higher than the official one, with one dollar trading for 17-19 thousand rials. In light of the persistent difference between the dollar’s official exchange rate and its rate on the free market, this week Mehr News Agency called on the authorities to step up the supervision of foreign currency traders’ activities and revoke the license of those who refuse to trade dollars at the exchange rate set by the Central Bank.
Majles and government representatives held a special meeting Sunday to discuss the developments on the foreign exchange market. In closing the discussion, a member of the Economy Committee said that the explanations given by the government representatives of the situation and the measures taken to curb the rise of the dollar were unconvincing.
Meanwhile, President Ahmadinejad accused foreign currency traders and his political rivals of responsibility for the developments on the foreign exchange market in recent weeks, and denied that Iran is facing a shortage of foreign currency. In a speech given during a visit to Kerman Province, the president argued that various self-interest groups have worked to destabilize the foreign exchange market: traders, who purchased large amounts of foreign currency to put profits in their own pockets; his political opponents, who accused the government of remaining indifferent to the collapse of the rial to make political profits ahead of the Majles elections; and the media, which fanned the controversy over the developments on the market. The president noted that any Iranian who requires foreign currency for travelling abroad or trading can easily obtain it through the banks, and added that there is no economic problem in Iran.
The minister of intelligence and the vice president on parliament affairs also pointed the finger at economy and media elements, saying they were the ones responsible for the turmoil on the foreign exchange market.
The president’s remarks drew strong criticism from his opponents. The Asr-e Iran website argued that blaming his political opponents and the media for the collapse of the rial is inappropriate. Journalists have no vested financial interest in influencing the foreign exchange market, and they simply report the developments. The president’s political opponents also have no influence on the situation, since they do not control the major economic institutions. According to Asr-e Iran, the crisis is the result of the faulty policy pursued by the government, which for several months has avoided making the kind of decisions that could help stabilize the currency.
Temporary marriage on the rise as gold prices increase
Mehr News Agency reported this week that the jump in the price of gold in recent months has led to an increase in the practice of temporary marriage in Iran (Mut’a or Sigheh marriage, which Shi’ite Islam permits).
In an interview given to Mehr, the sociologist Amanollah Qara’i Moqaddam explained that since the bride price men are required to pay to the woman’s family upon marriage is stated in gold, the increase in gold prices has resulted in a considerable increase in bride prices. As a result, many men prefer to avoid an "official” marriage and opt for temporary marriage, where a bride price is not required. Psychologist and family advisor Ali-Asghar Keyhannia also argued that the increase in the price of gold and the insistence of many families on getting a high bride price when their daughters get married has led many men to prefer a temporary marriage. In the past several months bride prices have nearly doubled due to the increase of gold prices.
The institution of marriage in the Islamic republic is facing a severe crisis in recent years, reflected in a considerable rise in the average age of marriage and significant increase in the divorce rate. Iranian researchers suggest that this has to do mostly with economic problems, which cause a continuing increase in the average age of marriage and force many young couples to find temporary solutions to formalize their relationship within the confines of the law. In recent years, a number of top Iranian officials have suggested encouraging the institution of temporary marriage to help young Iranians, who sometimes have to wait many years before starting a family
Mixed reactions to IAEA inspectors’ visit to Iran
A delegation of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors arrived in Iran earlier this week. The delegation’s arrival at the Tehran International Airport on January 29 was marked by a protest demonstration of young Iranians who carried photographs of the nuclear scientists assassinated this past year and signs saying that "Nuclear energy is our right”
Protest demonstration at the Tehran International Airport
(IRNA, January 29)
On the eve of the delegation’s visit, Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi expressed optimism over its results. In a statement given to reporters upon his arrival on a visit to Ethiopia, Salehi said that Iran’s nuclear activities are "transparent” and that it has nothing to hide (ISNA, January 29).
Shortly prior to the delegation’s arrival, Majles Speaker Ali Larijani said that the IAEA must change its policy and act in a professional manner to make it possible for its negotiations with Iran to resume. He noted that the delegation’s visit is an important stage for Iran to examine the IAEA’s conduct and make decisions about future cooperation with that organization (Farda, January 29).
Most of Iran’s media outlets provided a mixed view of the inspection delegation’s visit. The conservative daily Jam-e Jam defined it as an opportunity to renew Iran’s cooperation with the IAEA. An editorial published by the daily on the day of the delegation’s arrival in Tehran said that the visit provides Iran with an opportunity to prove that its nuclear program is for peaceful rather than military purposes. If the IAEA inspectors adopt an appropriate, non-extremist attitude, the nuclear issue can be closed and the misunderstandings surrounding it can be removed once and for all. Despite the latest report released by the IAEA director general about the Iranian nuclear program, Iran is willing to once again welcome the inspection delegation to demonstrate its good intentions and refute the claims made by the United States and the West about its nuclear activities. The daily took issue with the fact that, while Western countries put pressure on Iran, which has always been committed to the NPT, they do not allow Israel to open the doors of its nuclear facilities to IAEA inspectors (Jam-e Jam, January 29).
Earlier this week, IRNA, the government-run news agency, released a list of replies to 20 possible questions that might be brought up by the IAEA inspectors, and recommended that they look into the replies. Some of the questions and answers listed by IRNA were: After 4,000 days of close inspection, did the IAEA find even one gram of uranium for military purposes? No! Did the IAEA find evidence of activities or nuclear materials for military purposes which Iran did not declare by 2003? No! All the activities and materials were monitored by the IAEA, having been declared by Iran. Was Iran required to inform the IAEA about the uranium enrichment facility in Natanz, the uranium conversion facility in Esfahan, or the research reactor in Arak prior to 2003? No, because there were no nuclear materials at these sites before 2003. Was the IAEA required to provide Iran with the documents pertaining to the alleged military aspects of its nuclear program? Yes, as per the working plan on which the IAEA and Iran had agreed upon. Did it actually transfer these documents to Iran? No, under the claim that the country that had given the documents to the IAEA did not give it permission to pass them on to Iran. Was Iran required, in accordance with its work program vis-à-vis the IAEA, to engage in certain activities with regard to the allegedly military aspects? No, it was only required to address the issue, which it did in a 117-page response document. Did Iran implement the "additional protocol” of supervision? Yes. Are all declared nuclear materials found in Iran fully supervised by the inspectors and used for peaceful purposes? Yes. Has Iran allowed the IAEA to perform surprise inspections? Yes. Over one hundred surprise inspections have been successfully performed, some on a two-hour notice (IRNA, January 29).
On the backdrop of the assassinations of nuclear scientists this past year and Iran’s claims that the IAEA provided Western intelligence services with sensitive information on these scientists, the Tabnak website called on the authorities to exercise caution in contacts with the inspectors and warned about Western plans to take advantage of the professional and technical talks held by the inspectors in Iran to acquire intelligence information. Given the fact that the inspectors previously provided Western and Israeli intelligence services with sensitive information on nuclear scientists which facilitated their assassination, caution must be exercised when it comes to exposing the identity of nuclear scientists, Tabnak said (January 29).
In an interview given to the Iranian Diplomacy website, Dr. Elham Aminzadeh, a jurist from the University of Tehran, called on the Iranian authorities to demand that the inspectors provide a written guarantee stating that secret information made available to the IAEA will not be passed on to foreign countries (Iranian Diplomacy, January 29). Hossein Naqavi, a member of the Majles National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, said this week that Iran allowed the inspectors to enter after they had guaranteed that the IAEA would not leak out information on its nuclear scientists (Fars, January 29).
Iran and the uprisings in the Arab world:
Islamic Awakening and Youths Conference convenes in Tehran
An international conference titled Islamic Awakening and Youths convened in Tehran this week. The two-day conference was attended by over 1,200 participants from 73 countries, including Egypt, Tunisia, Libya, Lebanon, Yemen, Bahrain, and the Palestinian Authority. The conference is yet another example of Tehran’s efforts to take advantage of the developments in the Arab world to reinforce its status in the region.
In a speech given to the conference goers, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei defined the uprisings in the Arab world as a prelude to the uprising against "the Zionist network of global tyranny”. He said that, throughout its history, mankind has been through all materialist schools of thought and ideologies, including Marxism, liberal democracy, and secular nationalism. It is now at the threshold of a new era whose major characteristic is that the nations are turning to God. The current century, according to Khamenei, is the century of Islam.
For hundreds of years, he said, enemies of the Islamic commonwealth have attempted to envelop the Muslim nations in a sense of helplessness and inability to defeat the great powers. Now, the Islamic commonwealth has woken up to realize that the Muslim nations can rekindle the power of Islamic civilization.
He noted that the Zionists, the United States, and Western powers feel helpless over the Islamic awakening, and that the feeling is likely to grow from day to day. He warned about the conspiracies and plans of the Muslims’ enemies, aimed to compensate them for the blows they suffered as a result of the uprisings in the Arab world. He called on Muslim youth to remain vigilant and not allow Western powers to take the revolutions they’ve brought away from them.
According to Khamenei, the West is trying to stir up discord among Muslim nations, but the Islamic awakening movement makes no distinction between Shi’ites and Sunnis, and all schools of thought are united on the battlefield. Despite their geographic, historic, and social differences, Muslim nations are united in their struggle against the diabolical control of the Zionists and the Americans, and will not accept the existence of the "Israeli cancerous tumor” (Fars, January 30).
In the inauguration speech, President Ahmadinejad focused once again on attacking Israel and the "Western hegemony”. He claimed that the establishment of the "Zionist regime” in the midst of the Middle East was a Western conspiracy designed to entrench Western control of the region. All problems facing the region’s nation have their source in the Zionist regime and the Western hegemony, and it is because of them that the Arab world has been ruled by dictatorships. They were the ones who supported the dictators, held secret and private meetings with them, and armed them.
Ahmadinejad said that democracy, freedom, and justice will not be established through American and European weapons. There is no justice and no democracy in the United States and Europe, and the only two parties in the United States are puppets ruled by Zionists.
He warned the region’s countries against trusting the West, which aspires to foment division and religious and ethnic conflicts in the region to rescue the "Zionist regime”. Western humanism, liberalism, and capitalism are on the verge of collapse, the president said, and the only worthwhile substitute is the establishment of an Islamic order in accordance with religious faith (Fars, January 29).
Basij members demonstrate in front of Alaei’s residence
In his speech, Ali-Akbar Velayati, the Supreme Leader’s advisor on international affairs, also articulated the view held by regime leaders, according to which the developments in the Arab world are an expression of the decline of the West and the rise of Islam. The Islamic awakening is the Muslims’ answer to hundreds of years of Western colonialism, Velayati said. It is not a recent phenomenon but rather a movement that began 150 years ago thanks to Muslim thinkers and activists, and has now entered a new phase due to the developments in the Arab world, which have their roots in Islamic identity.
In their uprising, the Muslim nations have expressed their presence on the world political scene and called for the elimination of foreign intervention, the revival of their Islamic identity, the solution of their social and economic problems, and the return of the rights of the Muslim nations, particularly the Palestinian people (Mehr, January 29).
An editorial published by the conservative daily Jam-e Jam following the Islamic Awakening and Youths Conference, titled "Tehran, capital of Islamic awakening”, said that Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic revolution, was missed at the conference, which has its roots in the Islamic revolution 34 years ago. The youth conference in Tehran reflects a commitment to a different future for the Islamic world, where young Muslim people acknowledge unity as the most important foundation of the new Islamic culture (Jam-e Jam, January 31).
Currency stabilization efforts have limited impact; blame for ongoing crisis on foreign exchange market shifted around
In an attempt to curb the slide of the rial against the dollar, last Thursday, January 26, Mohammad Bahmani, the governor of Iran’s Central Bank, announced a 8.5 percent depreciation of the rial starting January 28. The dollar’s official exchange rate, previously 11,296 rials, was set at 12,260 rials to the dollar. In an interview to Iranian TV, Bahmani said that from now on the new rate is obligatory in all banking transactions, and that foreign currency traders on the free market can sell dollars for no more than 3 to 5 percent higher than the official exchange rate. He warned that traders who are found selling dollars for a higher price will lose their license.
Bahmani stressed that the government can provide foreign currency to any individual interested in purchasing it for their personal needs, including to students who travel abroad, and that there is no reason for Iranians to purchase foreign currency on the free market (Mehr, January 26). A special announcement released by the Central Bank called on citizens to report any problem encountered when purchasing foreign currency from banks and traders (Mehr, January 28). On Tuesday, January 31, Fars News Agency reported that a number of foreign currency traders were arrested by the Tehran police
Rooz Online, January 25
In addition, the Central Bank announced that the interest rate will increase to 20 percent on five-year investments, 17 percent on one-year investments, and 15 percent on nine-month investments. The decision, published last Wednesday, January 25, was made by the Finance and Interest Council after President Ahmadinejad removed his objection to raise the interest rate in order to help curb the dollar. It is intended to encourage Iranians to invest in bank savings programs rather than purchase foreign currency. These two decisions had the effect of pushing the dollar down on the free market, although its exchange rate is still considerably higher than that set by the Central Bank. Earlier this week one dollar was trading for 17-19 thousand rials, compared to over 21 thousand rials last week.
In light of the persistent difference between the dollar’s official exchange rate and its rate on the free market, this week Mehr News Agency called on the authorities to step up the supervision of foreign currency traders’ activities and close down those money exchange offices that refuse to buy or sell dollars at the official exchange rate under various pretexts. The obligatory official exchange policy will not work, according to Mehr, without tighter monitoring by the Central Bank and without a fight against traders who do not comply with the Central Bank’s instructions (Mehr, January 30).
On Sunday, January 29, Majles and government representatives held a special meeting to discuss the developments on the foreign exchange market. In closing the discussion, Mohammad Reza Khabbaz, a member of the Economy Committee, said that the explanations given by the government representatives of the situation and the measures taken to curb the rise of the dollar were unconvincing (Mehr, January 29).
The president’s opponents argued this week that his decision to agree to raise the interest rate came too late. An editorial published by the daily Mardom Salari said that the government should have made the decision already several months ago, before severe damage was caused to Iran’s economy. The belated decision made by the president cannot reverse that damage and make up for the losses suffered by the commerce, industry, production, and tourism sectors as a result of the devaluation of the national currency (Mardom Salari, January 26).
The daily Resalat also criticized the government’s conduct, saying that if it had followed the vision of "economic jihad” laid out by the Supreme Leader, the unfortunate events that have taken place on the foreign exchange and gold markets in recent weeks could have been avoided. The president’s silence over the financial crisis is surprising and can have three possible explanations: the first and unlikely explanation is that the president thought that the problem was not important enough and would resolve itself; the second is that the developments on the foreign exchange market were planned in advance by the government to achieve some objective; the third and most likely is that the government is unable to solve the problem (Resalat, January 28).
Meanwhile, President Ahmadinejad accused foreign currency traders and his political rivals of responsibility for the developments on the foreign exchange market in recent weeks, and denied that Iran is facing a shortage of foreign currency. In a speech given during a visit to Kerman Province last weekend, the president argued that a number of self-interest groups have played "a dirty political, economic, and media game” and instigated an artificial crisis on the foreign exchange market: traders, who purchased large amounts of foreign currency from the Central Bank and resold it to put profits in their own pockets; his political opponents, who accused the government of remaining indifferent to the collapse of the rial to make political profits ahead of the Majles elections; and media "affiliated with certain institutions”, which fanned the controversy over the developments on the market. The president was apparently referring to Fars, a news agency affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, which was responsible for a series of reports on the increase of exchange rates and gold prices last week. In addition, last week Economy Minister Shamseddin Hosseini accused media which he did not name of being involved in agitating the fluctuations on the foreign exchange market.
The president noted that any Iranian who requires foreign currency for travelling abroad or trading can easily obtain it through the banks, since Iran has sufficient foreign currency reserves. Iran has no economic problem, the president said, it enjoys economic stability and is in a situation that allows it to completely avoid exporting oil to Europe (ISNA, January 26). Yahya Ale-Eshagh, the head of Tehran’s Chamber of Commerce, announced this week that Iran’s foreign currency reserves amount to 120 billion dollars, which is why the public’s concerns about a foreign currency shortage are completely unfounded (Fars, January 31).
Ahmadinejad’s accusations were echoed by his Vice President on Parliament Affairs Mohammad-Reza Mir-Tajeddini and Intelligence Minister Heydar Moslehi, who claimed earlier this week that a number of economy and media elements which masterminded the turmoil on the foreign currency and gold markets have been identified by the government and the Ministry of Intelligence and will soon be exposed (ISNA, January 28).
As could be expected, the president’s remarks drew strong criticism from his opponents. The Asr-e Iran website argued that blaming the media is inappropriate, since the media simply reports the market developments and does not set the dollar’s exchange rate. Journalists have no vested financial interest in influencing the foreign exchange market, and in any case they lack the financial means to allow them to invest considerable sums in purchasing foreign currency. Furthermore, if the media does actually have the ability to influence developments on the foreign exchange market, why couldn’t government media, including IRNA News Agency, calm the situation down, and why did it also report the devaluation of the rial?
Additionally, the website criticized the president’s attempt to lay the blame at his political opponents, which cannot justify the government’s failed policy. The president’s political opponents do not control the major economic institutions, including the Finance and Interest Council, the Central Bank, and economic government ministries, through which they could influence the developments on the finance market. When the government wished to influence the situation, it did so within several hours by raising the interest rate and devaluating the rial. The question is, then, why the government did it so late. How can it be, the website wondered, that when prices go up, responsibility is placed on the media and the government opponents, whereas when they come down, the president and his government get the credit? (Asr-e Iran, January 27).
Temporary marriage on the rise as gold prices increase
Mehr News Agency reported this week that the jump in the price of gold in recent months (which coincided with the rise of the dollar) has led to an increase in the practice of temporary marriage in Iran (Mut’a or Sigheh marriage, allowed by Shi’ite Islam).
In an interview given to Mehr, the sociologist Amanollah Qara’i Moqaddam explained that since the bride price men are required to pay to the woman’s family upon marriage is stated in gold, the increase in gold prices has resulted in a considerable increase in bride prices. As a result, many men prefer to avoid an "official” marriage and increasingly opt for temporary marriage, where a bride price is not required. He added that, in addition to the increase in bride prices, there has also been a sharp increase in wedding expenses, which is more than many families can afford. In this state of affairs, many women prefer to stay with their families while men prefer not to start families of their own. The sociologist warned that, if this tendency continues, it will lead to a crisis in family life
"Temporary marriage” (http://www.pix2pix.org/show.php?ID=429)
Psychologist and family advisor Ali-Asghar Keyhannia also argued that the increase in the price of gold and the insistence of many families on getting a high bride price when their daughters get married has led many men to prefer a temporary marriage. In an average family, the bride price is usually based on the value of 500-700 gold coins (compared to less than 200 gold coins in religious families). In the past several months bride prices have nearly doubled due to the increase in the price of gold.
The spread of temporary marriage is yet another sign of the severe crisis faced by the marriage institution in the Islamic republic in recent years. It is also reflected in a considerable rise in the age of marriage and significant increase in the divorce rate. Iranian researchers suggest that this has to do mostly with economic problems, which push the average age of marriage higher and higher and force many young couples to find temporary solutions to formalize their relationship within the confines of the law. In recent years a number of top Iranian officials have suggested encouraging the institution of temporary marriage to help young Iranians, who sometimes have to wait many years before starting a family
Pictures of the week: foreign exchange market on first day after rial’s devaluation
