Aref: Government Will Not Let US Economic Pressure Target Stability and Livelihoods

First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said on Saturday, August 22, 2026, in response to intensifying US economic pressure on Iran, that the government will not allow this pressure to target the country's economic stability and people's livelihoods, according to Ecoiran. The remarks came on a day when Tehran's free-market dollar, gold, and coin prices all rose sharply, and after the UAE had already halted all trade and financial dealings with Iran. Aref's comments followed the United States' announcement that a new round of sanctions against Iran was imminent.