Regional
Iran’s parliament ousts economy minister over economic mismanagement
The parliament has ousted Hemmati in a no confidence vote almost eight months after President Masoud Pezeshkian appointed his cabinet.
Iran’s parliament voted on Sunday to remove the country’s Economy Minister Abdolnaser Hemmati from office over mismanagement of the economy and a plunging national currency, state media reported.
The parliament has ousted Hemmati in a no confidence vote almost eight months after President Masoud Pezeshkian appointed his cabinet.
Over the eight-month period, Iran’s currency has lost close to half of its value against the U.S. dollar, according to unofficial websites, such as alanchand.com.
The Iranian rial now trades at 927,000 to the U.S. dollar, against 595,500 in August of last year.
Parliamentarians opposing Hemmati argued that he had failed to prevent price increases in basic goods such as medicine, food and housing while being unable to control the foreign exchange market, state media said.
Hemmati had prioritised ending U.S. sanctions on Iran and removing the country from the Financial Action Task Force’s blacklist, state media said.
This was opposed by MPs who believe Tehran should focus on “neutralising” sanctions.
Hemmati’s supporters said it was not the right time to remove the economy minister as Iran remained under U.S. sanctions and replacing him would cause further instability, according to state media.
The economy is the top challenge for Iran’s ruling clerics, who fear a revival of protests by lower and middle-income communities angry at growing poverty that have erupted since 2017.
U.S. President Donald Trump has reinstated his “maximum pressure” campaign aiming to cut Iran’s oil exports to zero.
In the vote, 182 parliament members backed the no confidence motion on Hemmati, while 89 voted against the measure, according to state media.
United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan arrived in Islamabad on Friday on his first official visit to Pakistan, at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Geo News reported.
He was received by Prime Minister Sharif and senior officials, with his aircraft escorted by Pakistan Air Force jets upon entering Pakistani airspace. The UAE president is accompanied by a high-level delegation.
According to Pakistan’s Foreign Office, the visit aims to review bilateral relations and discuss regional and international issues of mutual interest.
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has signaled that the country will continue developing missiles over the next five years, following visits to major munitions enterprises in the last quarter of 2025, state media KCNA reported on Friday.
Kim said the country’s missile and shell production sector is “of paramount importance in bolstering war deterrence,” according to KCNA.
The report said Kim ratified draft documents on the modernization of key munitions enterprises, which will be submitted to a major ruling party congress expected to be held in early 2026. The congress is set to outline North Korea’s development plan for the next five years.
KCNA’s report follows Thursday’s disclosure that Kim oversaw the construction of an 8,700-ton nuclear-powered submarine alongside his daughter, widely seen as a potential successor, as well as the test-firing of long-range surface-to-air missiles.
Turkish authorities have detained 115 suspected Daesh members they said were planning to carry out attacks on Christmas and New Year celebrations in the country, the Istanbul chief prosecutor’s office said on Thursday.
Istanbul Police obtained information that Daesh members had planned attacks in Turkey, against non-Muslims in particular, during Christmas and New Year celebrations, the prosecutor’s office posted on X, Reuters reported.
The police raided 124 places in Istanbul, capturing 115 of the 137 suspects they were seeking, the statement said. Several pistols and ammunition were seized, it said.
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