Iran's economy was fragile before the war. NPR's Scott Simon speaks to Djavad Salehi-Isfahani, a professor of economics at Virginia Tech, about the current state of the country's economy.

At her studio in Iran’s capital, Amen Khademi prepared a fashion shoot for. But even as she applied lipstick to the model, she was distracted, worrying if her business would survive after four months without its main link to customers — the internet.

Asal, a freelance designer in Tehran, used to get projects from abroad all the time. She’s one of millions who have now lost their work as a result of the conflict.

Trump's escalating sanctions, naval blockade and financial enforcement against Iran test whether economic strain can force Iran's regime to bend.

Americans are paying for the war in Iran with every visit to the gas station, but some of the damage to the U.S. economy is being offset — for now anyway — by big tax refunds and an investment boom driven by artificial intelligence.

In just over nine weeks, the Iran war has sent shock waves through the global economy with major signs of slowdown emerging across multiple parts of the world. Rising energy costs are fueling inflation, straining production and raising fears of a recession. We turn to our correspondents in Europe, Africa, Latin America and, first, Asia.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent addresses the Navy's 'Project Freedom' in the Strait of Hormuz, emphasizing U.S. control and economic pressure on Iran.

The U.S. economy accelerated at the start of 2026, expanding at a modest 2% pace from January through March after recovering from last fall’s 43-day federal government shutdown.