Iranians feel the impact of U.S. sanctions while bracing for more
TEHRAN, Iran — Iranians are bracing for a new round of U.S. sanctions that President Trump plans to impose as early as next Monday. According to the White House, one of the main goals of the sanctions is to pressure Iran's government into negotiating a new and improved nuclear deal.
CBS News was in Tehran for a day of mourning in Iran's religious calendar, as thousands of the devout joined a solemn procession. There wasn't a soul in the crowd that hasn't already felt the bite of U.S. sanctions that were reimposed in August.
Mr. Trump says he has no quarrel with the Iranian people, but they're already hurting. Iran's currency has plunged 70 percent against the U.S. dollar. That means everything, starting with basics like food and medicine, is more expensive. Millions are struggling, including Sarah Abadan.
"The price of everything is increasing. We can feel it easily," she said.
When asked what she thinks of the current U.S. government, Abadan said "they are awful."
The White House gets a lot of the blame, but not all of it. People rarely say it out loud, but demonstrations across Iran show there's public fury with Iran's own inefficient, corrupt government.
For Iran's poor, violence and chaos will make their hardship worse. For now, they will grit their teeth and scrape by with less.