Iran's parliament sacks finance minister in blow to Rouhani

TEHRAN, Iran - Iran's parliament has voted to sack the finance minister, dealing another blow to President Hassan Rouhani as he faces mounting discontent over the economy.

Critics of the ousted finance minister, Masoud Karbasian, said the government had failed to do enough to shore up the economy as President Donald Trump began restoring sanctions after withdrawing the United States from Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani says 137 out of 260 lawmakers present voted against Karbasian on Sunday. Earlier this month, lawmakers dismissed Rouhani's labor minister, Ali Rabiei, on similar grounds.

The local currency has plunged in recent months, causing prices to soar and wiping out many people's life savings.

Iranian hard-liners have blamed the crisis on Rouhani, a relative moderate who was re-elected last year.