Allameh Tabatabai University in Tehran

Four Iranian government ministers have broken ranks to warn of a possible economic crisis because of the plunge in prices of oil and other commodities, underlining the country's patchy recovery.

In a letter sent to President Hassan Rouhani that was published by newspapers on Oct. 5, the ministers of economy, industry, labor and defense said "incompatible" policies were causing harm.

For book lovers at a recent exhibition in Tehran the "Buy Direct From Amazon" poster summed up their plight: if something seems too good to be true, it usually is.

Iranian consumers, unlike millions who use the U.S. online retail giant's global websites every day, cannot click and buy. Besides lacking credit cards, they are sealed off from international banking because of sanctions.