'Hamster' crypto craze gripping Iran highlights its economic malaise ahead of presidential election

Cab drivers and bikers at red lights in June in Tehran tap away furiously on their mobile phones, ignoring police officers. Some pedestrians do the same. They all believe they could get rich. The rise of the “Hamster Kombat” app in Iran highlights a harsher truth facing the Islamic Republic ahead of its presidential election this week to replace the late President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May. Iran's economy remains hobbled by Western sanctions, stubbornly high inflation and a lack of jobs. And after years of hearing about bitcoin, Iranians are now piling into this app, hoping it might one day pay off.