The impact of the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the Iranian currency, 20 MAY

 The impact of the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi on the Iranian currency

The Iranian currency witnessed a major collapse following the killing of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian. The currency fell by more than 8 percent as of last night, reflecting the profound impact of political events on the Iranian economy.

On Sunday, as news of the fate of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi spread after his plane crashed in East Azerbaijan Province, the dollar exchange rate witnessed a noticeable increase against the Iranian riyal in the unofficial market. The price of the dollar rose from the level of 57 thousand riyals per dollar to more than 62 thousand riyals in Monday morning trading.

This increase came after the official death of President Ebrahim Raisi and the Minister of Foreign Affairs was officially confirmed on Monday morning, as their helicopter crashed in the East Azerbaijan region, northern Iran. As a result, the Iranian currency exchange rate reached 60.6 thousand tomans against the US dollar, knowing that the Iranian toman is equal to 10 riyals.

The Iranian rial had witnessed a slight recovery against the dollar after a period of increasing tensions with Israel, as the dollar exchange rate reached about 70 thousand riyals per dollar. With the decline in tensions, the dollar exchange rate began to gradually decline, reaching 57 thousand riyals in parallel market trading on Sunday morning.

It is worth noting that the Iranian government has set an official exchange rate for the dollar at 42,000 rials to one dollar since 2018. However, the rial is suffering from great pressure due to high inflation sparked by the ongoing US sanctions. These sanctions, imposed during the administration of former US President Donald Trump, reduced sales of some of Iran's main exports, especially oil and its products.

This incident comes at a time when the Iranian economy is suffering from major challenges, as political fluctuations make it more difficult to predict the future of the currency and stabilize the economy. This rapid decline in the value of the Iranian rial reflects the fragility of the economic situation and the great pressures that the country faces in light of the sanctions and political turmoil.  link