Iran: Industry, Road Ministers Resign Amid Economic Crisis

A general view of central Tehran (File photo: Reuters)
A general view of central Tehran (File photo: Reuters)
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Iran: Industry, Road Ministers Resign Amid Economic Crisis

A general view of central Tehran (File photo: Reuters)
A general view of central Tehran (File photo: Reuters)

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has accepted the resignation of Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade Mohammad Shariatmadari and Minister of Roads and Urban Development Abbas Akhoundi, Iranian presidency said on Saturday.

Rouhani and his government are under increasing pressure from deputies who blame them for Iran's economic crisis. In August, the pressure ousted two other cabinet ministers, the Labor and Economy Ministers, after withdrawing confidence.

The Iranian presidency said on its website, according to Agence France-Presse, that Rouhani accepted the ministers’ resignation from their positions and took the opportunity to appreciate their continuous efforts during their tenure at the ministries.

The President assigned Assistant Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade Reza Rahmani as successor to Shariatmadari, and Governor of Mazandaran (north) Mohammad Eslami as Acting Minister of Roads and Urban Development.

According to media reports, the two ministers submitted their resignation to Rouhani more than a month ago, when parliament was preparing for a vote of confidence.

Rumors circulated in mid-September that Shariatmadari had submitted his resignation, but his ministry rushed to deny the news.

On Saturday, Akhoundi published his resignation letter, which he had signed on September 1, and attributed the reason for stepping down to "differences" which he did not clarify their nature.

In August, the parliament dismissed ministers of Labor and Economic because of the way they handled the country's severe economic crisis, which was aggravated by US sanctions imposed after US President Donald Trump decided to withdraw from a nuclear deal signed in 2015 on Iran’s nuclear program.

In August, Rouhani was forced to appear before the parliament to answer deputies' questions about the deteriorating economic situation, in a questioning session he had never undergone during his five years of office.



Trump Says it Might Be Better to Let Ukraine and Russia 'Fight for a While'

05 June 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump (R) meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office at the White House. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa Pool/dpa
05 June 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump (R) meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office at the White House. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa Pool/dpa
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Trump Says it Might Be Better to Let Ukraine and Russia 'Fight for a While'

05 June 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump (R) meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office at the White House. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa Pool/dpa
05 June 2025, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump (R) meets with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in the Oval Office at the White House. Photo: Michael Kappeler/dpa Pool/dpa

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that it might be better to let Ukraine and Russia “fight for a while” before pulling them apart and pursuing peace.

In an Oval Office meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Trump likened the war in Ukraine — which Russia invaded in early 2022 — to a fight between two young children who hated each other.

“Sometimes you’re better off letting them a fight for a while and then pulling them apart," Trump said. He added that he had relayed that analogy to Russian President Vladimir Putin in their phone conversation on Wednesday, The Associated Press reported.

Asked about Trump's comments as the two leaders sat next to each other, Merz stressed that both he and Trump agreed “on this war and how terrible this war is going on,” pointing to the US president as the “key person in the world” who would be able to stop the bloodshed.

But Merz also emphasized that Germany “was on the side of Ukraine” and that Kyiv was only attacking military targets, not Russian civilians.

“We are trying to get them stronger,” Merz said of Ukraine.

Thursday's meeting marked the first time that the two leaders sat down in person. After exchanging pleasantries — Merz gave Trump a gold-framed birth certificate of the US president's grandfather Friedrich Trump, who immigrated from Germany — the two leaders were to discuss issues such as Ukraine, trade and NATO spending.

Trump and Merz have spoken several times by phone, either bilaterally or with other European leaders, since Merz took office on May 6. German officials say the two leaders have started to build a “decent” relationship, with Merz wanting to avoid the antagonism that defined Trump's relationship with one of his predecessors, Angela Merkel, in the Republican president's first term.

The 69-year-old Merz — who came to office with an extensive business background — is a conservative former rival of Merkel's who took over her party after she retired from politics.

A White House official said topics that Trump is likely to raise with Merz include Germany’s defense spending, trade, Ukraine and what the official called “democratic backsliding," saying the administration's view is that shared values such as freedom of speech have deteriorated in Germany and the country should reverse course. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to preview the discussions.

But Merz told reporters Thursday morning that if Trump wanted to talk German domestic politics, he was ready to do that but he also stressed Germany holds back when it comes to American domestic politics.