TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — The Iranian rial on Wednesday fell to its lowest level in history, losing more than 10% of value since Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election in November and signaling new challenges for Tehran as it remains locked in the wars raging in the Middle East.
The rial traded at 777,000 rials to the dollar, traders in Tehran said, down from 703,000 rials on the day Trump won.
Iran’s Central Bank has in the past flooded the market with more hard currencies as an attempt to improve the rate.
In an interview with state television Tuesday night, Central Bank Gov. Mohammad Reza Farzin said that the supply of foreign currency would increase and the exchange rate would be stabilized. He said that $220 million had been injected into the currency market.
The currency plunged as Iran ordered the closure of schools, universities, and government offices on Wednesday due to a worsening energy crisis exacerbated by harsh winter conditions. The crisis follows a summer of blackouts and is now compounded by severe cold, snow and air pollution.
Despite Iran’s vast natural gas and oil reserves, years of underinvestment and sanctions have left the energy sector ill-prepared for seasonal surges, leading to rolling blackouts and gas shortages.
In 2015, during Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers, the rial was at 32,000 to $1. On July 30, the day that Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn in and began his term, the rate was 584,000 to $1.
Trump unilaterally withdrew America from the accord in 2018, sparking years of tensions between the countries that persist today.
Iran’s economy has struggled for years under crippling international sanctions over its rapidly advancing nuclear program, which now enriches uranium at near weapons-grade levels.
Pezeshkian, elected after a helicopter crash killed hard-line President Ebrahim Raisi in May, came to power on a promise to reach a deal to ease Western sanctions.
Tensions still remain high between the nations, 45 years after the 1979 U.S. Embassy takeover and the 444-day hostage crisis that followed. Before the revolution, the rial traded at 70 for $1.
Iran remains deeply involved in the Middle East conflicts that have roiled the region, with its allies battered — including the militant groups and fighters of its self-described “axis of resistance,” such as Palestinian Hamas, Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Current and pre-revolution Iranian banknotes are displayed by a street money exchanger at Ferdowsi St. in downtown Tehran, Iran, Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistani veterinary surgeons found that a bacterial infection killed an elephant at a safari park in the city of Karachi earlier this month, a veterinarian with a global animal welfare organization said Wednesday.
Dr. Amir Khalil with the Vienna-based Four Paws told The Associated Press that the infection spread through 19-year-old Sonia’s body from her foot, raising concerns about how Pakistani authorities handle animals “as such infections don’t spread in one day.”
“We are very sad for Sonia,” he said, as criticism from animal lovers grew on social media about the neglect.
Four Paws said in a statement the autopsy was conducted last week and that Sonia's death was the consequence “of prolonged species-inappropriate living conditions and malnutrition ... This heartbreaking outcome underscores once again the urgent need for proper elephant management.”
There was no immediate comment from Pakistani officials, including the director of the safari park, Syed Amjad Hussain Zaidi, who had earlier said that the animal was healthy and died suddenly.
An African elephant's average lifespan is usually between 60 and 70 years in the wild, according to the World Wildlife Fund, and a bit shorter in captivity. Sonia, a small adult, was brought to Pakistan in 2009 with three other elephants. One of her companions, Noor Jahan, died at a Karachi zoo last year at the age of 17.
Sonia was recently reunited with her sister Madhubala, who was transferred from Karachi Zoological Garden last month to be with her family. Madhubala was separated from sisters Sonia and Malika about 15 years ago.
Four Paws, which made the post-mortem available on Tuesday, said the “microbiological results from Sonia’s autopsy revealed the presence of various bacteria. The source of the bacteria was an advanced abscess on Sonia’s foot which was recently discovered and treated during our stay for Madhubala’s relocation".
It also said Khalil sent a “prophylactic treatment plan" for Malika and Madhubala to authorities, urgently recommending antibiotic treatment, alongside blood tests for both elephants before and after the treatment.
Khalil said he planned to visit Pakistan in February to examine the remaining elephants but Sonia's death showed that better care was needed for the animals.
Pakistan has a troubled history with elephants in captivity.
In 2020, Kaavan, dubbed the “world’s loneliest elephant” after languishing alone for years in a Pakistani zoo, was sent to a Cambodian sanctuary for the much-needed company of other elephants.
Efforts to transfer Kaavan from Pakistan were supported by singer and actor Cher, who campaigned for his rescue.
Elephants are seen at the safari park in Karachi, Pakistan, Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. (AP Photo/Fareed Khan)
