>> this is dw news live from berlin. hours before the u.s. free imposes sanctions on iran, tehran is lashing out at president trump for waging war on thehe minds of iriranians. irananian president rouhani accusising the u.s. of lnching psychological warfare on his country. president trump has ordered to rinsing -- reinstate sanctions. also coming up, authorities in indonesia are stretched to the limit as they work to rescue

locals and evacuate thousands of tourists stranded after sunday's earthquake or the death toll stands at 98 that is expected to rise. the islands of wally worst affected. plus, a ball of higher on an italian highway. a tanker truck explodes, ripping a hole through an 8 lane overpassss. dozens were injured. ♪ >> it is good to have you with us. iran's president rouhani has lashed out at renewed u.s. ancients set to take effect hours from now. accusing washington of launching psychological warfare against his country. speaking at an interview on state television, rouhani slammed president trump's recent talk of direct talks as being

only at domestic consumption and creating chaos in iran. trump today signed an executive order to reimpose many of the sanctions which were in effect before the 20 15th international nuclear deal with iran. he pulled the u.s. out of that agreement just three months ago. iranians have been bracing for renewed tensions since. -- renewed sanctions since. >> these people will be hit hardest in the u.s. sanctions cannot miss her -- measures hit in 2015. they are being brought back by the trump administration. the sanctions target the iranian financial system, including government purchases of u.s. dollars, the trading of gold and other precious huddle and other industrial goods. government bond sales and the automotive industry. in anticipation of the sanctions come at the iranian real has

been in freefall. it is already being felt. >> sanctions have definitely had an impact whether on currency exchange rate or the price of gold. they have resulted in the loss of many jobs. if the dollar goes up, the price of everything will go up. at the end, people should have patience and tolerance toward the sanctions. if it continues like this, we won't have a good life in the future. i hope our government will think about us people. a sentiment that washington hopes can call tehran back to the negotiating table. >> they could take up the president's offer to negotiate with them, to give up ballistic mimissile and nunuclear r weapos programs fully and verifiably under the onerous terms of the

iran nuclear deal which are not satisfactory. >> speaking in an interview on state television, iran's president rouhani said sanctions were an attempt on psychological warfare. they said tehran was ready for diplomacy. which is respoponsible for its caption cocontenand accucuracy. visit ncicap.org] [speaking foreign language] >> the first ststep would be e that donald trurump wants too negoti. what is the meaning for negotiatations when you imposese sanctions at the same time? rouhani called on iranians to unite. >> i'm joined tonight with a consultant to the german government on a rainy and affairs. -- on a rainy and affairs. he joins us in germany tonight. good to see you. i would like for us to start with iranian president rouhani accusing president donald trump of my divorce against t the peoe of iran. [speaking foreign language] >> i think the real purpose here

by the u.s. administration is to engage in psychological warfare and to so division a among iranians while at the same time gaining polititical capital for the upcoming congressional elections. trumps talk is about gaining t e mystic political advantage or waging psysychological war agait the iranian people. >> has the offer by trump to meet rouhani for talks created or revealed more fishers in a rainy and -- in iranian society? >> at least you can see iran has politics. you have always had a debate about how to deal with the u.s. and now with donald trump in office and his surprising offer to talk, some are saying it is empty words, don't even take about it. others are saying it is worth trying. another group says we have the choice but to talk to the rest

-- to the u.s. i wouldn't call it fishers but there is a heated bait on how to look forward. >> we know that rouhani is considered a pragmatist. he has done his test to open the door to the west. he is facing challenges from anti-western hard-liners in tehran. how hard are these e for the leadadership? >> if you think about what president rouhani was aiming at, he wanted to normalize trade with iran and enter the era without sanctions on the country. now the u.s. is the imposing sanctions and there is nothing he can do about it. for him it is a big blow to his presidential term and his opponents at home e are obviousy quite happy about it and will more fiercely challenge him now. >> the revolutionary guard has said the iranian people will not

allow any discussions to take place with the great satan, the united states. is there not some interest in tehran in keeping discussions going at some level? >> of course. i said that at the beginning of our conversation. there are different political domains, that have different viewpoints. it is same among the people. there are those who despise the u.s. president and others who say this is the one that we have to talk to because he has all the hard-liners in washington he hide him. there are different viewpoints and this is what i was saying here and it will be interesting to see which current emerges as the stronger one and more convincing one internally in iran. >> what is happening to the iranian economy right now? we havave sanctions being reimpe tonight. doesn't this put the influence of the military and security actor -- doesn't that make it

greater on the economy of iran? >> obviously iran has all economic problems. these are exacerbated with the new situation. sanctions always cause networks that have to jump in portrayed that has then prohibited. you have actors that may come from the military who can then if it i saying we have a third way to import goods and from entering the country. in the end, the consumers, ordinary iranian people will have to play -- will have to pay more because g gds will bebe moe expensivive. the purchasing power of iranian citizens will be lower and lower. that is exacerbating the hardship of the iranian people. >> giving us valuable analysis tonight. wewe appreciate your insights tonight. >> my pleasure.

>> at least 98 people have died in the earthquake that struck in tunisia on sunday night. the holiday islands have in worse affected. hundreds of people affected. thousands made homeless. the region by numerous aftershocks. it struck as many people were gathered together having their evening meal. >> rescuers sift through the rubble hoping against hope to find survivors here it the second devastating earthquake within a week has left a popular tourist island in ruins. ththis man's brother is m missi. [s[speaking forereign language] >> everyone was shopping and then suddenly the earth like it or it i brother wanted to run out to the middle of the road but the light t went out. he must have been therere when e roof collapsed. >> some local people say the authorities response to this

disaster has been inadeqequate. [speaking foreign language] >> we've not received any official eight. they've not come to help us. only the volunteers are here. >> we are traumatized. there are young children and old people with us. thank god we are fine. >> at the height of the holiday season, thousands of tourists were caught up in the earthquake. the chaos compounded by fears eight tsunami could follow the earthquake. >> we didn't get any tsunami water at all. it was literally, everyone started running for the hills. and then, we slept on the mountain until morning and then everyone decided to go back down. there was a huge evacuation this morning and thousands of people left the island. then we heard that the authorities had actually stopped at evacuations from taking place because there was so much hassle and destruction and chaos.

the boatsts stopped. >> the authorities admit there have beeeen problems w with the rescue operation. >> evacuation is difficult. seawater levels are lowering so big vessels cannot reach the ports. that is why the rescue team picked up wororth in thee ocece. -- picked d up tauaurus in the ocean. >> for visitors, and unexpected end to their holiday. for locals left behind, the damage will take years to repair. >> turning tonight here -- turning to niger. two years ago the european union pressured authorities to make it illegal to transport migrants wiping out a thriving local economy. the eu promised millions of euros to create alternative sources of revenue. our next report takes us to one of the key stations on the

migrant road to europe. a place where promises from europe h have been kept and apparently broken. ♪ >> hundreds of pickup trucks stand parked in niger. these vehicles once traversed the desert, transporting refugees hoping for a better life in europe. now, the authorities have confiscated the trucks, hoping to stop the people smugglers. until recently, migrants were welcome here. they brought money into the city , spending it on food, shopping, and accommodation. [speaking foreign language] >> there was nothing illegal about it. here in this district, we have lots of people running small shops and restaurants.

there was a lot going on, but now it is dead. >> niger band the trafficking of migrants to years ago under pressure from the european union. many of the people smugglers were arrested and their vehicles seized. the eu promised to helelp them t up legitimate alternative businesses, so far nothing has come of that. [speaking foreign language] >> we have children we have to feed, now we don't have any more work. how are we supposed to be able to raise our children? [speaking foreign language] >> there were once people from the eu here. they said they wanted to invest 200 million euros but we haven't seen anything, not a single cent. >> the eu has invested in

security. the niger military patrols the desert on the lookout for people smugglers. the strategy of deterrence seems to be working. hundreds of thousands of refugees once passed through this checkpoint. now, it stands deserted. rights activist says the eu has failed to address the underlying problem of why people are fleeing. migrants are still on the move. smugglers will always find ways through, however dangerous. [s[speaking foreign language] >> there are still many dead. you have projects and people are registered. now, how many immigrants have left?

nowadays those who can, leave. you can't know how many people have left. those desperate to leave have a choice but to make a dangerous desert crossing. eu policy is not making their journey any safer. brent: now with business news and the challenges facing africa on the trade rent. >> business leaders have weathered in washington for the annual meeting of the agricultural applied economics. treaties being trashed, geopolitical crises and times are not easel desk easy for trade. worst affected are poorer regions. the united nations conference on trade and development says global foreign direct investment has fallen by 21% especially in africa where fdi has dropped by that exact same amount. it will from to $3 billion in

2016 to who billion in 2018 and only eight international agreements were signed. i asked the president of the african element bank how the globes trade troubles are affecting countries in africa. >> went to elephants are fighting, the grass suffers here it you look at the impact of the site -- the fight, of course if you look at china and the united states it means that for china for example, if they were to be hit with the high tariffs, it would impact china in many ways. it will impact china in terms of its own revenue generation and times of official developmental assistance. it will also impact in terms of foreign direct investment. you have those feedback loops that are very important. of course you always have

companies that invest in chinese companies and in africa that are affected by rules of origin that have china in it. you find it is a lose lose situation. if you take a look at what africa can do, african nations can look more inward to make sure that it can isolate itself from many of the negative impacts. first and foremost is a land max signature of the continental free trade area in africa which will be the guest f free trade area and the world, 3 trillion u.s. dollars. that will allow africa to increase intraregional trade which is quite low right now. it will allow them to increase to 54%. that means you are talking about $35 billion u.s. increase every year. the best way to isolate and mitigate the impact for africa

to do a lot more trading with itself. >> back to relations with washington, is there anything you can say to officials when you meet with them there in washington that would convince them otherwise to make trade free or for africa? >> i think there is quite a lot going on in terms of discussion with the u.s. government. it has been extended to 2025, so it provides a lot of opportunities for african companies and countries to trade a lot with the united states and i'm sure the united states is pursuing bilateral trade agreements with a number of african countries. at the end of the day, africa is ready for investment and i hope that somehow we will be able to find a trade relationship that is beneficial to all and suddenly africa is an important continent for the united states anand i look forward to how we n improve that relationship going

forward, especially in terms of trade and investments as well. >> you mentioned improving trade within africa would be a huge boost to the economy. what about improving the situation were young people, jobs, creating more jobs to ensure there is no brain drain to europe as is often the case that quite a lot of your young workers do end up on europe's shores? >> that is true. i don't believe that the future of africa's youth lies in europe. i don't think it lies in the heat of the sahara desert. it lies in the africa that is doing well. able to tap into the huge amount of entrepreneurial capacity. that is one of the things why the african development bank has launched a bold program. it is called the africa -- the

jobs for youth in africa program. it will be supporting african countries to create 25 million jobs for the next 10 years. that will be in different areas. agriculture, i cte areas, i believe also a huge opportunity is to be tapped in africa when it comes to digital technology and we are looking -- we are working quite a lot in africa to do this. i want african young people to thrive and prosper in africa. they make the perilous trips that i see. i think a more v vibrant africa that invest in its young people is able to keep them engaged on the continent is the way to go. >> president of the african develop an egg. thank you for coming on dw. >> you're welcome, thank you.

>> returning to our top story and the development, iran is threatening to shut down the street of homeless in response to sanctions. it links the indian ocean with the gulf. it is the crucial route. on average, 19 million barrels of petroleum is transported every day to the rest of the world. almost one third of all oil traded at sea passes through the straight. any disruption could trigger major supply issues. let's go over to sophie on wall street for us tonight. could this spark an oil crisis? sophie: it depends on how serious iran is on blocking the street. they have threatened to close it and they have done it previously. the straight is a crucial

conduit or global energies across and the narrow passage in the persian gulf facilitates the movement of 30 to 35% of maritime trade. the conflict around ran has -- around airan. president trump and rouhani are choosing very bold decisions. it could trigger an escalation. the exercise is in response to rhetoric from the u.s. so some say this is rouhani targeting the united states with the newly imposed sanctions and tariffs. >> they have made the threat before. it is a strong bargaining chip that they do have. what is the likelihood they will use it? sophie: that is hard to say from here and at the moment, it

certainly is a bold threat. as we mentioned before, they have only talked the talk so far. it was more about psychology how it seems spirit it is a familiar refrain. the tough rhetoric if more than likely to be followed up by more mild retaliation attempts, maybe such as harassment in the straight. olli rehn has made the threat before, it has never followed through since shutting down the straight would be a drastic move. if investors believe it poses a real danger, the oil price would be rising. brent: good points there. thank you. to an interesting city now i visited recently where the second world war won't the proper long time. >> the japanese city of hiroshima is remembering the victims of the world first atomic him attack 73 years ago

today. people gathered in the hiroshima peace memorial too pray, in putting - -- including prime minister shinzo abe. hiroshima day is met locally with calls for peace and nuclear disarmament. on this day in 1945, an american were playing d drop a nuclear bb on the port city instantly killing 80,000 people. it is sometimes called histories deadliest. in italy, two people have died and more than 60 are injured after a tanker truck exploded near the northern city of bologna. because part of the highway to collapse. it caught the disruption on camera. >> watch the white and yellow tanker. it allows into the truck and front of it instantly starting a

serious fire. the mamain explosion came minuts later after r other vehicles had managed to clear the scene. the italian media say the tanker was carared -- was carrrrying ld pepetroleum gas that it has not been confirmed. emergency services wrought in helicopters to try to put out fires. when the smoke cleared, four of the highways eight lanes were collapsed onto the road below under the remains of the fuel tanker. authorities say the number of casualties could rise as rex skewers -- as rescuers work through the wreckage. >> the spanish soccer giant barcelona has confirmed a signing for 20 milillion euros. barcelona officiallyly presented him at t tt camp tododay. the chilean played d a key rolen

chile's back-to-back hope of america -- copa america titles. in the world surf league, a home a writ -- home favorites made a comeback to remember by winning the u.s. open event in california. she was only competing in her third event of the season after returning from a what injury. she delighted the fans with a victory over stephanie elmore at huntington beach. despite losing in the final, gilmore is chasing a seventh straight world title. lucky people. here is a reminder of the top stories we are following. a radiant resident rouhani has cacalled u.s. sanctions ecologil workfare after president trump signed and it acted in order

formally re-imposing sanctions on iran. trump had missed to reinstate that escherr -- promised to reinstate the measure. don't forget, you can get ew news on the go, download our app on google play or the apple store. it will give you the latest news and push notifications. you can use the dw app to send photos and videos when you see news happening. you are watching dw news live from berlin. after a short break i will be back to take you through the day.

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the way things things. fifty one this is from from the twenty rule on france24 dot com [inaudible] twenty line. in i mean i say state survives elections and get get it wrong. prpresident trumump probabl. right. on the money. and how