07/07/2026
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07/07/2026
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Vehicles drive past a billboard with graphic showing Strait of Hormuz and sewn lips of U.S. President Donald Trump in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Saturday, May 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
TEHRAN, Jul 7: A giant banner offering a "$100 Million bounty for Trump" was displayed Tuesday in the holy Iranian city of Qom as funeral ceremonies continued for slain Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, underscoring the intense anti-US sentiment gripping the country following the recent conflict.
The banner appeared as Khamenei's body was brought to Qom for religious observances, drawing attention amid heightened tensions between Tehran and Washington. Iranian authorities have not immediately commented on who erected the banner or whether it represents an official government position.
The display comes at a time when Iran is grappling with its worst economic crisis since World War II.
According to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Iran's economy is expected to contract by 6.1% this year, while official figures from the Statistical Centre of Iran show annual consumer inflation has surged to 88.6%, eroding household purchasing power and driving up the cost of everyday necessities.
The country's economic turmoil has been intensified by the recent military conflict and disruptions to maritime trade, which have severely reduced crude oil exports from around 2.1 million barrels per day to near zero. Analysts estimate the conflict has also caused approximately $270 billion in infrastructure damage, leaving Tehran struggling with dwindling foreign currency reserves and a rapidly worsening cost-of-living crisis.
Prices of basic food staples have reportedly quadrupled in many parts of the country, placing additional pressure on millions of Iranian families already coping with soaring inflation.
The Iranian rial has also suffered a dramatic collapse.
Although the Central Bank of Iran continues to maintain an official exchange rate of about 42,000 rials per US dollar, the currency trades on the open market at roughly 1.75 million rials per dollar, highlighting the widening gap between official policy and economic reality.
The rial briefly recovered after a US-Iran memorandum of understanding raised hopes for easing tensions, but renewed economic pressures and trade disruptions have since pushed the currency back toward record lows.
The combination of economic hardship, diplomatic tensions, and highly charged political symbolism reflects the mounting challenges facing Iran as it struggles to stabilize its economy while navigating one of the most volatile periods in its modern history.
