Issue 11, 13/04/2022 Iran Assessment – Violence, Inflation, Food and Commodity Shortages
- Shortage of food including the severe shortage of cooking oil has caused tension and outbreaks of fighting in long waiting purchasing queues, in most provinces of the country.
- In some parts of the country there has been shortage of meat products for months, with the price of red meat skyrocketing above 240,000 tomans (Iran currency) per kilo. The increasing inability to purchase red meat some parts, combined with hoarding in other parts, has resulted in the increasing accumulation of stock in storage.
- Increased cost of livestock and poultry feeds has caused the price of livestock and chickens to go up unbearably. To compound matters, the lack of imports has also caused the price of chicken, red-meat, and eggs, etc. to rise to unaffordable levels, making it very difficult for people to buy their day-to-day living necessities.
- The issue of bread rationing in the southern part of the country has created serious problems. In many bakeries, the shortage of dry and fresh bread has led to fighting amongst people who are rushing to get their ration.
- The armed forces chief of staff has written to the government requesting salaries/wages of the administrators and armed forces personnel to be increased. At the present monthly pay levels, many are unable to meet their day-to-day basic living necessity. In the past month alone, there have been 11 suicide cases among the police and law enforcement personnel due to the inability to meet their family’s financial needs.
- The price of domestically manufactured cars has increased disproportionately; 10 to 25 million tomans (Iran currency) per car. In addition, cost of car insurance has multiplied manyfold, also disproportionately.
- A 30% increase in the price of public transport since the beginning of the year has created a serious social predicament; people cannot afford the cost. It has been observed that some people are walking to and from their destination; they are not able to pay the travel cost.
- The armed robbery of gold merchant and exchange businesses has increased in four provinces of Alborz, Tehran, Qom, and Semnan in April. This has necessitated intensified undercover security forces to protect these commercial outlets.
- The armed conflict among the people has been on the rise in April of this year. The most noticeable and intense conflict has taken place in the Pardis area of Tehran.
- During the nature-day event in Tehran Shahracke Gharb, on April 3, there were many instances of women not observing Islamic Hijab’s law by not wearing their Islamic head cover. This has been widely criticized by several clergy authorities across the country.
- In the wake of the attack on the Iranian consulate in Herat, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has spoken with heads of the Afghan Central Government on the lack of necessary security provision for Iranian embassies and consulates in Afghanistan.
- The case of the attack perpetrated by the so called ‘force of evil’ at the Holy Shrine of the Eighth Imam in Mashhad, was passed over to the judiciary system for prosecution. This was done after the perpetrator confessed and admitted his crime. He has also admitted that he had received training for the crime he committed through the WhatsApp social media.
