In the last week, however, the 52-year-old leader has missed a cabinet meeting and failed to deliver two official speeches. A string of broken appointments from earlier in the year has also come to light. Mr Ahmadinejad, who has a reputation for being a workaholic to the point of hyperactivity, may be suffering from the strains of office. Rapid falls in the price of oil are adding to his woes. Iran produces about 4.2 million barrels of oil every day, making its economy and national finances largely dependent on the price of crude. Yesterday, oil was trading at about $66 per barrel – less than half the peak price of $145 recorded in July.
