The war of words with Trump is the least of the worries for the Iranians

Less than a year ago, Amir was at an evening at the Brazilian Embassy in Tehran, exchanging business cards with Cobblers eager to sell to a market of 80 million Iranians

The proceeds of the evening evening still line the walls of its stores: Brazilian flip-flops and bath slippers. But now, the shoes are subject to a government ban on foreign imports as Iran tries to stifle the impact of President Donald Trump's withdrawal from the nuclear deal, which opened the door to new suppliers

"Many retailers have already closed and I'm selling the stock I have left," said Amir, 27, standing behind the cash register in his small shop in a shopping arcade in a wealthy area from north Tehran. "Once I've sold everything, I'll probably be unemployed," he said, refusing to be identified by his full name to worry about speaking with foreign media.

Trump exchanges with President Hassan Rouhani have exacerbated fears Since Trump pulled the United States out of the deal in May, the Iranian currency has hit a record lows black market and foreign companies, notammen t PSA Group and Total have reduced their operations. . What remains are the deep structural weaknesses of the Iranian economy that have been compounded by embargoes, corruption and cronyism over the decades. Banks are paralyzed by bad debts due to years of bad regulation.

Sanctions lifted as part of the nuclear deal should be reinstated in a few days, while Trump warned Rouhani not to threaten the United States. Record temperatures, meanwhile, led to power outages in major cities and water shortages that triggered protests. Iranians worry that the government is overwhelmed by the scale of events

"The Rouhani government has no real understanding of what will happen and what will happen with these penalties, "said Saeed Laylaz. reformist economist who advised the government. "People have lost their trust and they crave efficiency – they do not care if it comes from men with beards or ties."

Instead, management is just trying to keep things under control, he said. "The strategy is firefighting," Laylaz said. "They face crises when they happen."

There is not much to suggest that Rouhani's position is seriously threatened, but the rapid deterioration of prospects will leave any vulnerable leader, let alone one where Islamic conservatives exercise such a position. power . The cleric is a little over a year into his second term and is trying to forge unity with the extremists who have always opposed the nuclear deal.

Many Iranians deliberately criticize US foreign policy and ridicule the stated purpose of the Trump administration. to help Iran in the long run by bringing the country back to the negotiating table. They see themselves as collateral damage in a geopolitical game of chicken.

"When you do everything you can to destroy the economy, how does that support us?" said Parisa, 32, who runs a women's fitness center that she opened with a friend in October last year. "I think people feel trapped between Trump's politics and the way the leaders here manipulate things."

Frustration with the government, especially among the reformists who voted for Rouhani, is growing. Some lawmakers are talking about a new generation of Iranians who were introduced to the food stamps and rations of war that characterized life during the conflict with Iraq in the 1980s.

Parisa , who voted for Rouhani, said that she had suspended her plans. to develop his business because of the plunging currency. Most of the equipment she needs, such as weights and yoga mats, is imported, she says, also refusing to be identified by her full name.

Aliasghar Rezaei is another who wants Iran to draw a different course. Under the torrid heat of Tehran, he directs his heavy Iranian Peugeot 406 into the urban traffic of the city. Rezaei ran a garment factory for 35 years. He closed a year ago and started working for a ride-ride app.

"There is no hope in general and one has the impression of being in the end," says Rezaei, 58 years old. overthrow of the shah. "I fought for the revolution and I would probably do it again, but something has to change."

The government has tried to restore some order in the economy and to show that it controls.

Rouhani exposed some of the illegal importers' practices and extirpated a number of government-related networks that had controlled car imports for profit. Several officials from the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Mining were arrested last week. Rouhani has asked his deputies to accelerate efforts to tackle corruption and should shake his cabinet.

After the fall of the rial while the Iranians were demanding hard currency, the euro was worth 100,000 rials in unregulated markets. , compared to about 40,000 rials last year – the government tried to stop buying panic. But the policy has declined because some companies have exploited the difference between the fixed rate of the central bank and the illegal black market rates while others have floundered.

Seyyed Ali Jafari returned to Iran in 2014 from the United Arab Emirates a year after the election of Rouhani. The prospect of a withdrawal of sanctions and a rapprochement with the West allowed Jafari and his trading partner to consider the possibility of advertising online in Iran. Application for visas and leave the country after their client base has been decimated, especially since Trump ripped the US part into the nuclear deal. They lost the data center that hosts their server because they can not pay the operator and are left trying to meet a small group of domestic customers, said Jafari

"Our goals for income and page impressions and to win foreign customers have all collapsed, "said Jafari." The situation of our company has deteriorated significantly since May, the currency problems, the l 39; the total lack of access to dollars and currencies preventing us from finding anything in the market, we have lost foreign customers and suppliers.

Tight controls over dollar and euro supplies and l & # 39; 39, banning purchases of non-essential products abroad mean that dozens of suppliers and retailers are struggling to survive.

The shoe retailer Amir stores in the Iranian capital, since he was a teenager. He said that he can not remember a time when things felt more precarious and uncertain. A cargo of shoes was blocked by the Iranian customs a month ago and is blocked there, he said.

"The whole country is in a state of stress," he said. "It's like everything is at a standstill."