'Hamster' crypto craze has taken Iran. It highlights economic malaise ahead of presidential election

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Cab drivers and bikers tap away furiously on their mobile phones as they wait at red lights in the Iranian capital during an early June heatwave. Some pedestrians in Tehran are doing the same. They all believe they could get rich.

The object of their rapt attention? The “Hamster Kombat” app.

A wider crypto craze aside, the app's rise in Iran highlights a harsher truth facing the Islamic Republic ahead of Friday's presidential election to replace late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May: an economy hobbled by Western sanctions, stubbornly high inflation and a lack of jobs.

Even as presidential candidates make promises about restoring the country’s economy, Iranians, who have been hearing for years about bitcoin, are now piling into this app out of sheer hope it might one day pay off — without knowing much about who is behind it.

“It's a sign of being desperate, honestly,” said Amir Rashidi, the director of digital rights and security at the Miaan Group who is an expert on Iran. It's about “trying to hang on to anything you have a tiny hope that might some day turn to something valuable.”

Those able to divest from holdings in Iran's beleaguered currency, the rial, have purchased property, art, vehicles, precious metals and other hard assets since the collapse of Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

At the time of the deal, the exchange rate was 32,000 rials to $1. Today, it's nearing 580,000 rials to the dollar — and many have found the value of their bank accounts, retirement funds and other holdings gouged by years of rapid depreciation.

Meanwhile, prices of fruits and vegetables have jumped 50% since last year while the price of meat has risen 70%. The cost of a ride in a shared taxi, common in the Iranian capital, has almost doubled. Even rides in Tehran's Metro, still the cheapest option for the city's commuters, are up some 30%.

“Since morning, I had three visitors to my shop, none of them bought anything," said Mohammad Reza Tabrizi, who runs a clothing shop in downtown Tehran. “Most customers prefer buying from peddlers or pre-owned items in other places."

In underground walkways and other areas of the city, peddlers sell nearly anything they can get their hands on. It's this desperate environment that has seen the public's interest in cryptocurrency and mobile games offering coins rise.

The proliferation of smartphones across Iran, as well as the relatively low cost of mobile service compared to other nations, makes accessing apps like “Hamster Kombat” attractive.

The app is accessed through the messaging app Telegram, which remains popular in Iran despite efforts by the authorities trying to block access to it. It functions like an incremental or a “clicker" game — users repeatedly click on an object or complete repetitive tasks to earn points.

In “Hamster Kombat,” users believe they may be able to access a purported cryptocurrency associated with the game that's still not traded publicly.

In an email, individuals describing themselves as the game's developers declined to answer questions about their identities or business plans, but insisted they were “not offering any cryptocurrency in the game.”

“We are educating our audience about crypto through gaming mechanics,” the email claimed.

Still, the game resembles another app that did offer Iranians cryptocurrency in the past — and it seems that just the promise of what could be free money can drive some Iranians to distraction.

Jokes online show one man tapping on a gravestone as if it were a mobile phone. Another uses a massage gun to rapidly punch a Hamster on the screen.

But the public's fascination with the game has also drawn the attention of authorities.

Rear Adm. Habibollah Sayyari, the deputy chief of Iran's military, described the app as part of the West's “soft war” against Iran's theocracy ahead of the election.

“One of the features of the soft war by the enemy is the ‘Hamster’ game," Sayyari said, according to the state-run IRNA news agency. He theorized that the “enemy” is popularizing the game so that people would be distracted and not “pay attention to plans of presidential candidates.”

"Then (the people) fail to choose the best candidates,” Sayyari said. Hard-line pundits in Iran have voiced similar opinions.

The daily JameJam, published by Iran's state television, also warned the ever-increasing interest in the game was a sign of “the dream of becoming rich overnight and gaining wealth without effort.” It said those playing range from "builders, mechanics and refrigerator repairmen to colleagues and classmates in university.”

“A society that instead of working and trying to succeed and earn money turns to such games and looks for shortcuts and windfalls gradually loses the culture of effort and entrepreneurship and moves towards convenience,” the newspaper said, without acknowledging that the country's economic woes were potentially driving the interest in the app.

The app has even drawn the attention of a 97-year-old Shiite religious scholar, Ayatollah Nasser Makarem Shirazi, who is known for his fatwas declaring things “haram,” or "forbidden," from his office in the holy city of Qom, Iran's center of Shiite learning, packed with religious schools and revered shrines.

Calling cryptocurrency “the source of many abuses,” Shirazi said people shouldn't use the “Hamster Kombat” app or others like it involving bitcoin.

Iran isn't alone in having concerns about the game.

Authorities in Ukraine, locked in a devastating war with Iranian-armed Russia since Moscow's 2022 invasion, warned that users' data remains stored in Russia and could potentially put them at risk.

Then there's the wider risk of malware exposure as consumers in Iran often cannot purchase new software legally or even access legitimate app stores. They also face the risk of state-sponsored hackers targeting them for their political views.

Meanwhile, as Iran's election campaign goes on, presidential candidates are using Instagram, X and Telegram — all services previously banned by the theocracy after rounds of nationwide protests.

“As long as you are able to pay the price, everything is available,” said Rashidi, the Iran expert.

Karimi reported from Tehran, Iran.

A woman plays Hamster Combat game on a cell phone in Tehran, Iran, Sunday, June 23, 2024. The rise of the “Hamster Kombat” app in Iran highlights a harsher truth facing the Islamic Republic's economy ahead of its presidential election this week to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People conduct their business in the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Thursday, June 13, 2024. The rise of the “Hamster Kombat” app in Iran highlights a harsher truth facing the Islamic Republic's economy ahead of its presidential election this week to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A man carries a carpet in the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Thursday, June 13, 2024. The rise of the “Hamster Kombat” app in Iran highlights a harsher truth facing the Islamic Republic's economy ahead of its presidential election this week to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People walk through the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Thursday, June 13, 2024. The rise of the “Hamster Kombat” app in Iran highlights a harsher truth facing the Islamic Republic's economy ahead of its presidential election this week to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People walk through the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Thursday, June 13, 2024. The rise of the “Hamster Kombat” app in Iran highlights a harsher truth facing the Islamic Republic's economy ahead of its presidential election this week to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A vendor advertises women's cloths in the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Thursday, June 13, 2024. The rise of the “Hamster Kombat” app in Iran highlights a harsher truth facing the Islamic Republic's economy ahead of its presidential election this week to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A woman carries her shopping in the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Thursday, June 13, 2024. The rise of the “Hamster Kombat” app in Iran highlights a harsher truth facing the Islamic Republic's economy ahead of its presidential election this week to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A shopkeeper shows a carpet to a customer at a carpet shop in the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Thursday, June 13, 2024. The rise of the “Hamster Kombat” app in Iran highlights a harsher truth facing the Islamic Republic's economy ahead of its presidential election this week to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A shopkeeper shows a kilim to a customer at a carpet shop in the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Thursday, June 13, 2024. The rise of the “Hamster Kombat” app in Iran highlights a harsher truth facing the Islamic Republic's economy ahead of its presidential election this week to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People walk through the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Thursday, June 13, 2024. The rise of the “Hamster Kombat” app in Iran highlights a harsher truth facing the Islamic Republic's economy ahead of its presidential election this week to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

A salesman works on his cell phone at a carpet shop in the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Thursday, June 13, 2024. The rise of the “Hamster Kombat” app in Iran highlights a harsher truth facing the Islamic Republic's economy ahead of its presidential election this week to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

People make their way through the old main bazaar of Tehran, Iran, Thursday, June 13, 2024. The rise of the “Hamster Kombat” app in Iran highlights a harsher truth facing the Islamic Republic's economy ahead of its presidential election this week to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Roughly 130 million people were under threat Saturday and into next week from a long-running heat wave that already has broken records with dangerously high temperatures — and is expected to shatter more from East Coast to West Coast, forecasters said.

Oppressive heat and humidity could team up to spike temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (about 38 degrees Celsius) in parts of the Pacific Northwest, the Mid-Atlantic and the Northeast, said Jacob Asherman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

In Oregon, records could be broken in cities including Eugene, Portland and Salem, Asherman said. Dozens of other records throughout the U.S. could fall, Asherman said, causing millions to seek relief from the blanket of heat in cooling centers from Bullhead City, Arizona, to Norfolk, Virginia.

“Certainly a pretty anomalous event that we’re expecting here, which looks like it will continue through at least midweek,” Asherman said.

By 9 a.m. Saturday, the National Weather Service said the temperature had already risen to 98 degrees (36.6 C) in Phoenix, which saw a record high of 118 F (47.7 C) for the date on Friday.

Meteorologists predict temperatures will be near daily records region-wide through most, if not all, of the coming week with lower desert highs reaching 115 to 120 degrees (46.1 to 48.8 C) .

Rare heat advisories had been extended even into the upper elevations, including around Lake Tahoe, with the National Weather Service in Reno warning of “major heat risk impacts, even in the mountains.”

“How hot are we talking? Well, high temperatures across (western Nevada and northeastern California) won't get below 100 degrees (37.8 C) until next weekend,” the service posted online. “And unfortunately, there won't be much relief overnight either."

A new heat record for the day was set on Friday in California's Death Valley -- one of the hottest places on Earth — with the mercury climbing to 127 F (52.8 C.) The old mark of 122 F (50 C) was last tied in 2013.

More extreme highs are in the near forecast, including 129 F (53.8 degrees C) for Sunday at Furnace Creek in Death Valley National Park, and then around 130 (54.4 C) through Wednesday. The hottest temperature ever officially recorded on Earth was 134 degrees (56.67 C) in Death Valley in July 1913, though some experts dispute that measurement and say the real record was 130 F (54.4 C) recorded there in July 2021.

The worst was yet to come across much of the West, with triple-digit temperatures likely — between 15 and 30 degrees (8 and 16 degrees Celsius) higher than average into next week, the National Weather Service said.

The Eastern U.S. also was bracing for more hot temperatures. Baltimore and others parts of Maryland were under an excessive heat warning, as heat index values could climb to 110 F (43 C), forecasters said.

"Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors," said a National Weather Service advisory for the Baltimore area. “Young children and pets should never be left unattended in vehicles under any circumstances.”

In Arizona’s Maricopa County, which encompasses Phoenix, there have been at least 13 confirmed heat-related deaths this year, along with more than 160 other suspected heat deaths are still under investigation, according to the county’s most recent report.

That does not include the death of a 10-year-old boy earlier this week in Phoenix who suffered a “heat-related medical event” while hiking with family at South Mountain Park and Preserve, according to police.

At the Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland, Oregon, music fans dealt with heat by drinking cold water, seeking refuge in the shade or freshening up under water misters. Organizers of the weekend revelries also advertised free access to air conditioning in a nearby hotel.

Angela Quiroz, 31, kept her scarf and hat wet and applied sunscreen at she protected herself from the heat at the music festival.

“Definitely a difference between the shade and the sun,” Quiroz said Friday. “But when you’re in the sun, it feels like you’re cooking.”

Associated Press reporter Julie Walker contributed from New York. Boone reported from Boise, Idaho, and Sonner reported from Reno, Nevada. Associated Press journalists Adrian Sainz in Memphis, Tennessee; Jonathan Drew in Raleigh, North Carolina; John Antczak in Los Angeles; Rio Yamat in Las Vegas; Denise Lavoie in Richmond, Virginia; and Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, contributed.

With an American flag reflected in the Willamette River, people sit on their paddle boards and listen to the music at the Waterfront Blues Festival on Friday, July 5, 2024, in Portland, Ore. A slow-moving and potentially record-setting heat wave is spreading across the Western U.S., sending many residents in search of a cool haven from the dangerously high temperatures. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A child jumps off the dock at Cathedral City Park into the Willamette River on Friday, July 5, 2024, in Portland, Ore. A slow-moving and potentially record-setting heat wave is spreading across the Western U.S., sending many residents in search of a cool haven from the dangerously high temperatures. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Corinne Dickey, of Portland, Ore., cools off under a mister while attending the Waterfront Blues Festival on Friday, July 5, 2024, in Portland, Ore. A slow-moving and potentially record-setting heat wave is spreading across the Western U.S., sending many residents in search of a cool haven from the dangerously high temperatures. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

People walk on the dock at Cathedral City Park on Friday, July 5, 2024, in Portland, Ore. A slow-moving and potentially record-setting heat wave is spreading across the Western U.S., sending many residents in search of a cool haven from the dangerously high temperatures. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Gina Rowlett uses the mister to cool off at the Waterfront Blues Festival on Friday, July 5, 2024, in Portland, Ore. A slow-moving and potentially record-setting heat wave is spreading across the Western U.S., sending many residents in search of a cool haven from the dangerously high temperatures. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Radha Ramya, second from right, eats her ice cream with family members Nadamuni Ramya, from left, Dinakar Ramya, Nirvi Ramya and Devineni Ramya at the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol, Friday, July 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Sherri Thompson uses her disability parking sign to fan off as she waits for the Cook Plaza cooling center to open on Friday, July 5, 2024, in Gresham, Ore. Thompson has lived in her car for three years, and can only run its air conditioning for about 20 minutes at a time as it causes the engine to overheat. A heat wave is spreading across Wester U.S., the national Weather Service said, sending many residents in search of a cool haven from the dangerously high temperatures. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Sherri Thompson, with her chihuahua 14-year-old Kiwahi, arrives at the Cook Plaza cooling center on Friday, July 5, 2024, in Gresham, Ore. Thompson has lived in her car for three years, and can only run its air conditioning for about 20 minutes at a time as it causes the engine to overheat. Thompson said the high temperatures prompted health concerns, as she had been hospitalized for a heat stroke in the past. A heat wave is spreading across Wester U.S., the national Weather Service said, sending many residents in search of a cool haven from the dangerously high temperatures. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Ty Brown, with Cultivate Initiatives, puts ice over bottles of water as workers set up the Cook Plaza cooling center on Friday, July 5, 2024, in Gresham, Ore. A heat wave is spreading across Wester U.S., the national Weather Service said, sending many residents in search of a cool haven from the dangerously high temperatures. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Doll Crain, with Cultivate Initiatives, marks off places for beds as workers set up the Cook Plaza cooling center on Friday, July 5, 2024, in Gresham, Ore. A heat wave is spreading across Wester U.S., the national Weather Service said, sending many residents in search of a cool haven from the dangerously high temperatures. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Sherri Thompson, with her chihuahua 14-year-old Kiwahi, waits in her vehicle for the Cook Plaza cooling center to open on Friday, July 5, 2024, in Gresham, Ore. Thompson has lived in her car for three years, and can only run its air conditioning for about 20 minutes at a time as it causes the engine to overheat. A heat wave is spreading across Wester U.S., the national Weather Service said, sending many residents in search of a cool haven from the dangerously high temperatures. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Jordan Savant, second from left, walks with his family carrying umbrellas on the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol, Friday, July 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Sherri Thompson, with her chihuahua 14-year-old Kiwahi, arrives at the Cook Plaza cooling center after waiting for the center to open on Friday, July 5, 2024, in Gresham, Ore. Thompson has lived in her car for three years, and can only run its air conditioning for about 20 minutes at a time as it causes the engine to overheat. A heat wave is spreading across Wester U.S., the national Weather Service said, sending many residents in search of a cool haven from the dangerously high temperatures. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

Wesam Horni, center, sells water on the National Mall near the U.S. Capitol, Friday, July 5, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

People fill up their water bottles while attending the Waterfront Blues Festival on Friday, July 5, 2024, in Portland, Ore. A slow-moving and potentially record-setting heat wave is spreading across the Western U.S., sending many residents in search of a cool haven from the dangerously high temperatures. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)

A person cools off during the Waterfront Blues Festival on Friday, July 5, 2024, in Portland, Ore. A slow-moving and potentially record-setting heat wave is spreading across the Western U.S., sending many residents in search of a cool haven from the dangerously high temperatures. (AP Photo/Jenny Kane)