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Iranian state media are reporting on the increasing scarcity of food on people’s tables in light of the steep rise in prices. According to Khabar Online, the price of a kilogram of red meat surged by 63.5% in 2023, reaching over 600,000 tomans, leading to a significant drop in consumption per person.
Mehdi Sarvi, an expert from the “Resistant Economy Think Tank,” revealed that while the average meat consumption for families in the country stands at 8 kilograms, in the lower-income segments, it plummets to only 2 kilograms. He further highlighted that the per capita consumption of red meat among the poorest is around 700 grams. This is in stark contrast to countries like Ethiopia, where the average is 7 kilograms, Rwanda with 8 kilograms, and Nigeria with 9 kilograms per year—ten times less than the average meat consumption in European nations.
According to the state-run website Fararu, based on FAO statistics, milk and dairy production in Iran decreased by 268,000 tons in 2023. This is despite government sources claiming a 42% growth in exports of these products. The data suggests that people lack purchasing power for dairy products, resulting in a reduction in domestic dairy production, with whatever is produced being exported abroad. The same source notes that the number of dairy companies in Iran has decreased from over 1,000 in the 1980s to around 200 now.
Although the Ebrahim Raisi government continues to announce positive economic growth and a reduction in inflation, Iran remains among the countries with the highest inflation rates globally, alongside Argentina and Turkey. Consequently, analysts and government officials who are not deceived by Raisi’s lies warn of ongoing social unrest.
Watch and judge why this insider is warning that the regime is destined for a collapse or #IranRevolution pic.twitter.com/Ysu6LbOhnz
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) January 1, 2024
Jalal Mahmoudzadeh, a regime representative in the parliament, stated, “Currently, many Iranian families have fallen below the poverty line,” telling “Ruydad24,” “The middle class has almost disappeared.”
He added, “The number of families below the poverty line has more than doubled compared to the past.”
Taqi Azad Ermaki, an analyst within the regime, voiced concern over the potential for public outrage stemming from repressive measures. He cautioned, “In such economic circumstances, rather than fostering calm, our social interventions are only exacerbating people’s anger. An enraged citizen will either vent this anger immediately or redirect it to places where it holds sway.”
Former MP Masoud Pezeshkian admitted to the luxurious lifestyle of government elites and warned of the consequences of inequality in facing the current severe economic conditions. Speaking to the state-run Jamaran Online, he said, “You won’t find someone who, when they get sick, looks for an extremist doctor. It’s not like that; everyone seeks a competent and skilled doctor. If you look back at the past, you’ll see that many of these officials traveled to countries like Germany, England, and Spain for treatment of illnesses that are simple and accessible within the country.”
In an interview with the state-run newspaper Ham Mihan on April 26, Hashmatollah Fallahatpisheh, the former head of the parliamentary National Security Committee, openly acknowledged the pervasive corruption within the clerical regime. While trying not to offend the most powerful, he said, “Each corruption case involves three primary actors: first, those who engage in financial exploitation and occupy the upper echelons of the hierarchy. Second, there are the lobbyists or intermediaries who facilitate connections between these exploiters and existing privileges, particularly government benefits. Last, there are individuals in proximity to power who establish links with embezzlers through intermediaries. It’s evident from experience that the majority of corruption in the country persists due to governments’ insistence on maintaining the status quo.”
Watch and judge how this former #Iranian official (who happens to be the son of former regime's president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani) warns the state's leadership against #IranRevolution pic.twitter.com/dAS7ewKL8M
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) December 28, 2023
Fallahatpisheh deemed Raisi’s suppressive tactics like the renewed crackdown on women with excuses like improper hijab as dangerous and slashed the ruling faction, stating that moral policing should focus on officials and their financial corruption.
On the other hand, MP Abdollah Izadpanah mocked Raisi’s claims of economic growth, asking, “If there has been 6% economic growth, where is its impact on people’s tables? We can’t bury our heads in the snow and say everything is fine.” He continued, “The fact that the dollar has soared from 28,500 tomans to nearly 70,000 tomans is cause for concern. It’s laughable when some individuals claim, for example, that the increase in the exchange rate has no relation to the price hike of eggs. The price of a kilogram of red meat has reached 600,000 tomans.”
“The free-market exchange rate of the dollar has surged by 15,000 tomans in the past two months,” another member of the parliament, Mehdi Taghiani, admitted, “Currency instability is a factor of insecurity and destroys people’s mental and emotional well-being.”