What new measures is Iran taking to counter US economic pressure?

What Happened

President Masoud Pezeshkian held a Saturday meeting with several cabinet members to discuss measures to reduce severe financial pressure on Iranians from the US-Israeli war and sanctions, including the depreciation of the Iranian rial and the cost-of-living crisis. Iran's Plan and Budget Organisation presented a seven-point package to deal with the crisis; details were not revealed. Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency reported the proposal aimed to 'help the country overcome the challenges ahead in a more orderly and less costly manner'. The following day, Pezeshkian ordered formation of a committee to coordinate the new economic arrangement, comprising central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni, and Tehran mayor Alireza Zakani. State broadcaster IRNA reported the committee's goal is to help stabilise prices across the country. On Monday, Pezeshkian told MPs that economic policy should focus on the most vulnerable groups, including female-led households, and said energy efficiency would be a main tool; he called for implementation of 'car-free Tuesdays' to conserve energy.

Key Actors

Why It Matters

The article describes an Iranian government scrambling to contain the domestic fallout of a US-Israeli economic and military pressure campaign. The context—$270bn in estimated damages, a 10 percent GDP contraction, a collapsing rial, medicine shortages, and disrupted imports—shows how sanctions and naval interdiction are affecting Iran's economy and population. Pezeshkian's response, including price stabilisation and energy conservation, signals recognition that economic pressure could threaten political stability. The package also connects to Iran's demand that the US lift the blockade as part of negotiations over reopening the Strait of Hormuz, making these domestic measures part of a broader strategic standoff.

Watch For

Details of the seven-point package from Iran's Plan and Budget Organisation; actions of the newly formed price-stabilisation committee; implementation of car-free Tuesdays and energy conservation directives; any US-Iran talks on lifting the naval blockade and reopening the Strait of Hormuz; further movements in the rial, food and medicine prices, and availability of wheat and pharmaceutical raw materials.