Middle East live: Iran's president says country facing 'many problems' as US sanctions loom

Home Middle East Live Issued on: 23/08/2026 - 11:23Modified: 23/08/2026 - 11:31 President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian takes questions from the media during a news conference in New York on Sept. 26, 2025. © Angelina Katsanis, AP Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday said that his country was facing "many problems" and that authorities were striving "to overcome inflation, livelihood problems, unemployment, and to secure the future of the people". His comments came after the US vowed last week to bring about the "collapse" of the regime through a newly announced sanctions campaign. Follow our liveblog fot the latest updates. Yesterday's key developments: Israel says US criticism of strike on Syria 'full of inaccuracies' Dozens of UK, French ex-ambassadors accuse Israel of ethnic cleansing in open letter Iran said that any country participating in the United States’ “economic war” against the Islamic republic would be considered “an enemy” Keywords for this article