Iranian Markets Rise as Mediators Near Interim Deal with U.S.

Iran's national currency strengthened on Sunday, the second day of the working week in Iran, with each U.S. dollar fetching less than 1.68 million rials in Tehran's open market by noon. The rial has marginally improved compared with the all-time low of 1.9 million against the greenback last month.

The price of gold also dropped in Iran despite the weekend freeze in international markets, with each Emami gold coin priced at about 1.71 billion rials, down by about 5 percent compared with the market opening on Saturday morning. After a controlled reopening three weeks ago that ended a three-month shutdown, the Tehran Stock Exchange also continues to grow.

The main index of the market grew by 123,000 points by the end of trading on Sunday, reaching a new all-time high of nearly 4.82 million points.

A young resident of central Tehran said that, regardless of the short-term currency and price changes, he and his family members have been resorting to buying dollars and euros whenever possible in recent months. "Food or any of the other items that have tripled in price over weeks and months will not get any cheaper when the dollar goes down a bit," he told Al Jazeera on Sunday.

Hardliners are also sensing a deal may be near and are pushing the Iranian side to make as few concessions as possible. The Fars news website, affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Iranian officials were unlikely to sign on Sunday since it was the birthday of a foreign leader.

" Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's former supreme leader, was killed on the first day of the joint air attacks on February 28. In Tehran, Qom and Mashhad, a number of pro-establishment voices expressed their opposition to the deal through speeches, banners and slogans.