Iran trade falls as Supreme Leader Khamenei urges less reliance on the U.S. dollar

A UAE navy ship sails next to a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz as seen from Khor Fakkan, United Arab Emirates, Wednesday, March 11, 2026.Altaf Qadri | APIranian trade has fallen sharply under U.S. sanctions and a naval blockade, President Masoud Pezeshkian said, as Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei urged a reduction in reliance on the U.S. dollar."We have had a decrease of between 25% and 35%. Our exports have decreased, but imports have decreased more," Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview late Friday with state TV and according to a Google translation of a Tasnim News transcript. "The decrease in exports is slightly less than the decrease in imports, and imports have decreased significantly." "What do these statistics mean? Then some people say that sanctions have no effect at all! I really don't know what to tell these people," Pezeshkian was quoted as saying. "I just want to say this, saying that sanctions have no effect is not consistent with these facts."Meanwhile, Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei called for greater economic self-reliance in a written message Friday."Equally vital is giving special attention to economic growth, boosting production, gradua...