With Iran demanding major US concessions, Trump is holding back from renewed military escalation and betting that sanctions and a naval blockade will force Tehran to compromise as the rial sinks, inflation surges and unemployment rises

Unemployment technically dropped if you remove the loss of government jobs

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>According to the International Monetary Fund, Iran’s economy is expected to contract by 5.6% this year, its steepest decline since 1988.
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>Iranian authorities say annual inflation has reached 88.6%, while food prices have risen 130% in a single year.
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>The rial fell to a record low early this month of 1.9 million to the dollar. It has since recovered slightly to around 1.88 million per dollar, but remains roughly 20% weaker than at the start of the war.
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>The Foundation for Defense of Democracies estimates the blockade is costing Iran’s economy around $435 million per day.
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>In a recent analysis, the Washington-based institute said Iran’s economy had already begun “unraveling” late last year and argued that the blockade was accelerating the process.