Amid war and sanctions, unemployment worsens in Iran

As the U.S. war with Iran drags on, Iranians face increasing layoffs and a rising unemployment rate. Transcript SCOTT DETROW, HOST: Unemployment is skyrocketing in Iran as the war with the United States drags on. People are losing jobs and livelihoods as inflation soars, with many saying they are not just having to borrow to make ends meet but are putting life on hold. From Istanbul, NPR spoke with Iranians, and international correspondent Hadeel Al-Shalchi shares their stories.HADEEL AL-SHALCHI, BYLINE: Rasoul (ph), a 42-year-old engineer in Tehran, had a good job at a tech company. He felt economically secure until the war hit. Then he started worrying.RASOUL: (Non-English language spoken).AL-SHALCHI: "I always used to tell my wife, if worst comes to worst, I'll just drive for Snapp!," he says. That's a ride-sharing app, the Iranian equivalent to Uber, that uses a local cellular network totally under the regime's control. The day Rasoul feared eventually came. Like all Iranians NPR spoke to for this report, Rasoul asked not to use his full name for fear of retribution from the government. In January, Iranian authorities cut the internet network people used to communicate with the...