Iran is currently grappling with widespread poverty and deteriorating economic conditions, as acknowledged by both authorities and the government press. The harsh realities that have surpassed expectations over the past year highlight the extent of the economic challenges the country faces.
At the beginning of the previous Persian calendar year (March 2023), the Mardom Salari newspaper reported that the poverty line was set at 150 million rials. By year’s end, the ILNA news agency quoted a government official stating, “If calculated accurately, taking into account the real needs of citizens such as housing and education, the actual cost of living undoubtedly exceeds 300 million rials and more.”
In early last year, the Shargh newspaper indicated that the misery index had surpassed 40%, with the inflation rate climbing beyond 50%. By the year’s end, the newspaper confirmed that Iran’s misery index ranked 19th among 157 countries.
Indeed, the past year has seen poverty intensify across all segments of the Iranian population, save for a select few affiliated with the ruling regime. According to reports from regime-affiliated newspapers, six low social groups—encompassing approximately 60 million people—have fallen below the poverty line, with 30 million people plunging below the survival threshold. This group includes those who cannot afford to buy bread, as well as those who purchase bread on credit or in installments.
The reasons behind this widespread poverty are evident in the available macroeconomic data. The state-run newspaper Stareh Sobh quoted Abdolnasser Hemmati, the former head of the Central Bank of Iran, as saying, “During the two years under the administration of the 13th government, led by Ebrahim Raisi, the rate of money printing increased by 83%, liquidity by 72%, the [exchange rate of the US] dollar by 97%, gold coins by 162%, and the price index by 114%.”
The same newspaper added, “The price of the dollar reached 600,000 rials, the price of gold coins hit 370 million rials, and the cost of meat, vegetables, fruits, and basic foodstuffs doubled dramatically, severely impacting the purchasing power of ordinary citizens.”
Of course, Raisi is seen as a tool for regime supreme leader Ali Khamenei, whose regime, from its inception, has been focused on plundering and oppressing the people. The same regime was described by its founder, Ruhollah Khomeini, with the dismissive phrase, “The economy is for the donkey!” From such a regressive viewpoint, the bitter outcomes we are witnessing today were inevitable.
Recently, his grandson, Hassan Khomeini, conceded, “Any tree that bears the fruit of poverty and destitution is a malicious tree.” Indeed, the poverty, misery, and corruption we are witnessing in Iran are the direct results of Khomeini’s nefarious legacy. However, it is not unthinkable that this harmful tree will be uprooted through the efforts and determination of Iran’s rebellious youth and the Resistance Units, leading to its eventual overthrow of the regime by the flames of the Iranian people’s democratic revolution.
