US Election 2024 Live: Locked in Middle East wars and battered by sanctions, Iran is wary of US presidential election

America’s presidential election next week comes just after Iran marks the 45th anniversary of the 1979 US Embassy hostage crisis – and for many, tensions between Tehran and Washington feel as high as they did then.
Iran remains locked in the Middle East wars roiling the region, with its allies – militant groups and self-described “Axis of Resistance” fighters – battered as Israel presses its war in the Gaza Strip, targeting Hamas and an invasion of Lebanon amid attacks devastating. against Hezbollah. At the same time, Iran appears to still be assessing the damage from Israel’s attacks on the Islamic Republic last Saturday in response to two Iranian ballistic missile attacks.

Iran’s rial is nearing record lows against the dollar, battered by international sanctions over Tehran’s nuclear program to enrich uranium closer than ever to weapons-grade levels.

In public spaces, women still openly defy Iran’s mandatory headscarf or hijab law following mass demonstrations over the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022, which still haunt the country.