‘The wealthy poor’: Soaring food prices hurt Iranian families

Iranians from all walks of life struggle under the weight of rising inflation and war pressure. Tehran, Iran – On Fadaeiyan-e Islam Street in the south of the Iranian capital, Tehran, a woman in her 50s stands contemplating a bag of rice, looking closely at its price before turning away with a sigh. “Inflation has taken a toll on our family’s income for decades, but this year it is almost wiping out our dining table,” she says. “The prices of all goods have doubled.” This is a familiar scene these days across Iran, a country suffering from a naval blockade, two successive wars and a collapse in the value of the national currency. According to the latest data from the Statistical Centre of Iran, food inflation rose by 128 percent in the month of Tir in the Iranian calendar (June 21 to July 20) compared with last year. Every time I leave the market, I am carrying less than what I used to buy,” added the mother of three, who is about to retire from the Ministry of Education.

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