Iran International
Ordinary Iranians are buckling under the physical and psychological strain of surging prices, toxic air and deepening food and medicine insecurity, officials and experts in Tehran have warned.
The government’s decision to strip subsidized foreign exchange from the import chain for a range of essential goods—including rice, oil, red meat, animal feed and medicines—has pushed living costs sharply higher.
Non-subsidized petrol prices are due to rise later this week, adding to fears of further inflation.
“Without economic security, psychological security cannot exist,” former public health official Naser Ghasemzad told the moderate daily Shargh on Tuesday.
“Citizens must feel confident that if they fall ill, the health system will support them. They need to know that prices are predictable and the economy is relatively stable.”
‘Widespread depression’
Inflation and collapsing purchasing power have pushed protein and dairy out of reach for many families. Even staples such as rice and bread are becoming unaffordable.
Ghasemzad pointed to alarming trends in the capital. “Around 30 to 40 percent of residents suffer from mild neurological disorders such as anxiety and depression. This is not a small number and reflects the widespread pressures that daily life imposes on people.”
The government insists electronic subsidy cards will cushion the blow. But many say the support falls far short of rising prices and that handouts may help only if regularly adjusted for inflation—a tall order given the government’s cash constraints.
“People wake up every day with new worries—from the exchange rate that affects all prices to the possibility of school or office closures because of pollution,” Tehran resident Arman told Iran International. “The stress is relentless.”
Fouad, a father in the capital, describes an “unending cycle.”
“Every time we find a solution to one problem, like buying equipment to secure emergency electricity, another crisis emerges. It creates a sense of helplessness and mental exhaustion.”
‘Medicine running out’
Drug shortages and soaring prices are intensifying the pressure, particularly for patients with chronic or life-threatening conditions.
Dr. Akbar Abdollahi of Iran’s Food and Drug Administration recently warned that factories now hold “less than one month’s supply” of some essential medicines.
Distribution centers have under two months, and pharmacies under three. Twenty-one hospital drugs are already in shortage, and 800 more face potential disruption because of currency and liquidity constraints.
“Given current conditions, shortages could worsen next year,” said Ebrahim Hashemi, chairman of the Iranian Drug Distributors Association.
For those reliant on specialized treatment, the situation is becoming desperate.
“The government’s removal of subsidies is like stamping a death sentence on patients,” said Younes Arab, head of the Thalassemia Patients Association, warning that some families are contemplating selling organs to pay for their children’s medication.
On the verge
Social pressures are adding further strain.
Ultra-hardliners are pushing renewed hijab enforcement, and authorities are targeting businesses that fail to comply.
The government of Masoud Pezeshkian has also failed to deliver on promises to lift internet filtering.
It is an intense and dangerous climate, sociologist Iman Jajarmi warned in an interview with the Shargh newspaper on Tuesday. “Even minor social issues can escalate into political crises.”
Street concerts, outdoor festivals, late-night parties and music events have become increasingly visible in Tehran and beyond. Young people, many without the headscarves which are required for women, have filled pop and jazz concerts while street bands draw large crowds on central boulevards.
“This has nothing to do with the government,” Memarian said. “It is a very massive force underneath the society, and they are opening pathways that my generation was not able to even touch.”
Images and reports from across the country show men and women running together in a desert marathon in Kerman, while on Kish Island in the Persian Gulf the organizers of a separate marathon were arrested after women ran without hijabs.
Local media said more than 5,000 people took part in the Kish race, and photographs of female runners posing with medals and uncovered hair circulated widely online. Judicial officials accused organizers of “violating public decency” and said warnings about the dress code had been ignored.
The apparent cultural opening has been tolerated by authorities in its bid to shore up popular support in the wake of the punishing conflict with Israel and the United States, even as they have stepped up arrests and executions.
Memarian said the opening is not sudden. For years, multiple demographics “have been pushing inch by inch,” and many have paid a price. But two events accelerated it: the death of Mahsa Amini in morality police custody in 2022, which triggered nationwide protests and the twelve-day war between Iran and Israel earlier this year.
In June, Israel launched a surprise military campaign on Iranian nuclear facilities, missile production sites, killing nuclear scientists along with hundreds of military personnel and civilians.
Iran retaliated with waves of drones and ballistic missiles, prompting a week of exchanges. The United States then intervened directly, striking three Iranian nuclear sites at Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz with bunker-busting bombs.
Many Iranians spent nights sheltering in parking garages and stairwells. The government urged calm and vowed that its defenses had “full control,” yet many ordinary people said they felt unprotected.
“People were left alone. They saw the regime could not protect them. That created a huge vacuum and emboldened many Iranians,” Memarian said.
He emphasized that the changes are not limited to affluent parts of Tehran.
“It is a very widespread movement. From Tehran to small cities and villages, people are voicing their demands, imposing their lifestyle on the system.” Social media has erased the geographic divide, he added, allowing young people in remote areas to follow the same trends as their peers in urban centers.
“We have a massive explosion of expectations inside the country,” he said. “They are not going to let the government write their destiny. There’s no going back.”
Despite ongoing arrests and a rise in executions, officials have responded cautiously. The judiciary chief recently said the current relaxed approach to hijab enforcement “cannot continue,” and conservative voices have warned that “the Islamic revolution will soon disappear” if the trend continues.
Memarian said the state’s enforcement network sees the social shift as existential. “Those who favor repression are part of a massive, expensive machine,” he said. “Their identity, paycheck and power come from it. If they lose this, it’s over.” Some insiders, he added, now believe they cannot win. “They fear this is the beginning of the end. The domino has started to fall.”
Iran’s economy remains under strain, with sanctions, inflation, water shortages and energy problems. Yet Memarian said young Iranians remain focused on building their future ... one where the "Islamic Republic is something from the past.”
