Iranian President Hassan Rouhani was given one month to appear before parliament, where he will be forced to provide answers on his government’s handling of the country’s economy that continues to rapidly deteriorate, primarily due to the U.S. withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement. The imminent American sanctions, which are expected to take effect on the 7th of August, have bolstered hardliners in the Islamic Republic, whom are actively seeking to politically capitalize on Iran’s growing economic difficulties. Parliament’s summon of President Rouhani is perceived as one in a series of desperate measures, to block the country’s crumbling economy. According to Iran’s semi-official ISNA news agency, lawmakers want to question Rouhani on topics including the rial’s decline, which has lost more than half its value since April, the country’s weak economic growth and rapidly rising unemployment rates.
Meanwhile, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif responded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s statement, in which he said he is prepared to meet Iran’s leaders without preconditions. The Iranian top diplomat wrote on his twitter account that Washington should blame itself for ending talks with Tehran when it withdrew from the nuclear deal – joining a series of reactions by Iranian officials whom emphasized that the United States must re-join the multinational agreement, before additional negotiations are discussed.