Economy

Iran economy faces 25% deeper contraction amid soaring inflation, major employment crisis

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he predicted the Iranian economy would contract an additional 25% by next March and recommended that Iranian civilians begin stocking up on gasoline.

An Iranian woman walks next to an anti-Israeli mural on a street in Tehran, Iran, May 18, 2026.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich attends a press conference at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem, July 1, 2026.

Finance Ministry prepares plan to prevent increase in deficit, fund defense, for next government

Tech Economy Growth.

The economic impact of Israel’s expanding technology industry

THE TEL AVIV stock exchange. Although Israel’s economy emerged triumphant from the war, with full employment and one of the world’s strongest currencies still intact, this does not mean it can spend a tenth of its GDP on defense, the writer maintains.

Investors see economic upside for Israel if opposition beats Netanyahu in upcoming elections


Israeli curbs on labor, banking, and trade drive West Bank economic crisis - report

Unemployment, reduced public salaries and strained healthcare are worsening the West Bank’s economic crisis amid Israeli restrictions, The New York Times reported.

PALESTINIAN STUDENTS gather near a fence installed by Israeli settlers on their way to school, near Umm al-Khair in the West Bank, on April 14, 2026.

Trump's economic 'D-Day' will only bring further defeat to US, Iran's Araghchi warns

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warns Trump’s economic campaign will fail, as IRGC spokesman Hossein Mohebbi threatens a more destructive Iranian response if another war breaks out.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi attends the talks with Russian President at the Boris Yeltsin Presidential Library in Saint Petersburg on April 27, 2026.

'Economic D-Day': Trump threatens economic warfare against countries aiding Iran

UAE suspending all trade activities, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran following Trump statement • Trump promises 'economic warfare and isolation on an unprecedented scale'

US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, August 7, 2026

US national debt tops $40 trillion for first time, doubled under presidents Trump, Biden

The federal government's IOU has now more than doubled in less than a decade, from $19.95 trillion when US President Donald Trump was sworn in for the first time in January 2017.

The US Department of the Treasury Building in Washington, DC, US, July 11, 2026.

Russia's Putin orders government to help rebuild warehouses destroyed in Ukrainian attacks

Putin said the economy was growing modestly despite external pressure, a reference to Western sanctions, and despite Ukrainian attacks on industrial and infrastructure facilities.

Smoke billows from a warehouse, after deadly Ukrainian drone attacks, as per regional governors, in Elektrostal, Moscow Region, Russia, July 18, 2026, in this screen grab obtained from a social media video.

The next US-Israel agreement should expand joint innovation - opinion

The 10-year memorandum of understanding between the United States and Israel, signed in 2016 and worth $38 billion, expires in 2028, and discussions about its successor are already underway.

Israel tech innovation.

Israelis continue flocking to malls: BIG's net profit surges 47%

BIG Shopping Centers posted a Q2 2026 net profit of NIS 366.3M with 100% mall occupancy as it expands operations across Israel and Europe.

BIG complex in Kiryat Gat.

From Haredi cities to the Sharon: Where was the sharpest spike in job seekers recorded?

A 24.4% surge in Haredi job seekers and summer teacher layoffs drove up July unemployment, alongside ongoing growth in higher socioeconomic clusters.

Employment Service, archive.

Mecca pact unites Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan - but what does it mean? - opinion

The significance of the Mecca pact will depend less on the language of the agreement than on its implementation.

TURKISH PRESIDENT Recep Tayyip Erdogan shakes hands with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, next to Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, after signing a joint defense agreement in Mecca, on August 7, 2026.

What are Trump's options as he seeks to pile more economic pressure on Iran? - explainer

The US, ‌the UN, and the EU have applied sanctions, implemented trade embargoes, and frozen assets for decades over Iran's nuclear program and human rights violations.

US President Donald Trump listens to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speak ahead of the launch of Trump investment accounts in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on July 6, 2026.