Iran TOEFL exams halted after US sanctions

TOEFL English exams in Iran have been suspended after the latest US sanctions, disrupting plans for Iranian students applying to foreign universities.

The US-based Educational Testing Service, which administers TOEFL, said the exams were suspended after the US Treasury stopped issuing licences for them. ETS said Iranians could still travel abroad to take the exams.

Iranian media reported that other English proficiency tests, including PTE and the Duolingo online exam, have also been suspended. The tests are required by many foreign universities.

For students, taking the exams abroad can mean new fees and travel costs at a time of severe economic pressure. The rial has fallen to around 2.2 million to the US dollar in recent days, and year-on-year inflation reached 89 percent for the Iranian month ending August 22.

Nikki, a 32-year-old student from the northern city of Lahijan who had planned to study psychology in Italy, said she was considering borrowing money to take the exam in Armenia. Leila, a 32-year-old Tehran resident accepted into a graduate arts programme in Berlin, said she could not afford to take an exam outside Iran and would probably study inside Iran instead.

Iranian officials condemned the suspension. Science Minister Hossein Simaei Saraf called the move “Stone Age” behaviour.