Hagar Chemali spoke to CNN’s Erica Hill on Tuesday. CNNThe fragility of Iran’s economy meant the regime was edging toward collapse “with or without war,” a former US treasury spokesperson for terrorism and financial intelligence has told CNN. “With or without war or strikes, the Iranian regime was on its way to a very dire economic collapse,” Hagar Chemali told CNN’s Erica Hill. The expert recalled the collapse late last year of one of Iran’s largest private banks, Ayandeh Bank, which triggered a further devaluation of the country’s currency that caused inflation to skyrocket. That was the spark for widespread anti-government protests in Iran in January, she said.

Source: CNN March 03, 2026 06:35 UTC