Middle East

Iran's Parliament Approves 4 New Ministers Amid Economic Reshuffle

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the new ministers need to help "resist" and "fight" the U.S.

Iran's Parliament Approves 4 New Ministers Amid Economic Reshuffle
Iranian Parliament
SMS

Iran's parliament has approved four new ministers amid an economic reshuffle. 

The move comes only about a week before U.S. sanctions on Iran's oil and gas industry go into effect on Nov. 4. 

The parliament approved new economic, industry, labor and roads ministers. 

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani backed the new ministers, saying they need to help "resist" and "fight" the U.S. 

The U.S. has been gradually reimposing sanctions on Iran since President Donald Trump pulled out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal back in May. The first round of sanctions snapped back into place in August and affected Iran's trade in gold and other precious metals, its automotive sector and its purchases of U.S. dollars. 

Those sanctions are contributing to Iran's hurting economy, which has faced inflation and unemployment. The country's currency, the rial, has lost about 70 percent of its value this year.

But in September, the remaining members of the Iran nuclear deal reaffirmed their commitment to move forward with the agreement. They also discussed a workaround that would let oil companies and other businesses continue trading with Iran while mostly steering clear of the U.S.