Following the exodus of foreign investors from Iran, Fatemeh Maqsoudi, spokesperson for the regime’s Majlis (Parliament) Economic Commission, stated that exchange rate fluctuations and the decline in people’s purchasing power have rendered economic activities in Iran unjustifiable, leading foreigners to leave the country.
Media outlets, however, attribute the primary cause of investors’ departure to Donald Trump’s return to the White House. In this context, the state-run Tejarat News website reported that the domino effect of the withdrawal of the few foreign investors in Iran has begun.
According to this news website, following the departure of Saudi Arabia’s Savola from Iran, the Hyperstar chain stores will leave next. The Tehran City Council has agreed to transfer ownership of the Hyperstar property in the Bakri branch, located in District 5 of Tehran, to Bank Shahr.
Masoud Daneshmand, a member of the regime’s Chamber of Commerce Board of Representatives, told Tejarat News, “Trump may have an impact in this regard, but it depends on how Iran responds. If Iran acts wisely, it can partially neutralize the effects of these decisions.”
Many experts believe that the accelerated withdrawal from Iran reflects the impact of Trump’s presence in the White House on global economic relations. In this regard, the state-run Armanmeli newspaper wrote that the domino effect of foreign investors leaving Iran has reached Digikala. The European investment company IIIC, which owns about 33% of Digikala’s shares, is expected to exit Iran soon.
Earlier, Steven Mnuchin, the former U.S. Treasury Secretary under Donald Trump, had called for intensified sanctions against the Iranian and Russian governments. According to Reuters, Mnuchin emphasized the need for stricter financial sanctions and additional measures to reduce the oil revenues of Iran and Russia.
