Economics
Iran's Legislature Grills Embattled Rouhani on Economic Policy
- Lawmakers unconvinced by his defense of economic policies
- Parliament stops short of escalating concerns about economy
Hassan Rouhani.
Photographer: Stefan Wermuth/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Iranian lawmakers rejected President Hassan Rouhani’s defense of his handling of the tottering economy but stopped short of taking action to weaken him further.
The embattled Rouhani had been summoned to appear before parliament to explain his government’s actions to tackle 12.5 percent unemployment, the tumbling rial, a slump in economic growth and smuggling. His standing has been hurt by President Donald Trump’s withdrawal in May from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, and some allies say the rare summons to appear before the legislature was politically motivated to undermine him.