Iranians report medicine shortages and soaring drug prices
Iranians have described worsening economic conditions in messages sent to Iran International, with several pointing to sharp rises in medicine prices and shortages of basic drugs.
One person said they had managed to connect to the internet for the first time since about two months ago and found that Liskantin syrup, used for epilepsy and seizures, had risen from 9 million rials, about $5, last year to 42 million rials, about $23, and was still difficult to find.
Another message said the price of a sheet of B6 and B12 vitamins had reached 13 million rials, about $7, putting it beyond the reach of many patients.
A pharmacy worker in Shahr-e Qods said one father who came to buy medicine for his child did not have enough money and tried to use a government electronic voucher, but could not. “He was looking for a way to sell it so he could buy the medicine,” the worker said.
“I worked at a petrochemical company and got fired. Since we can no longer afford rent, my wife, two children and I have moved back into my parents’ house,” one citizen told Iran International.
Another, a woman supporting her household alone, said she was forced to share her home after losing her job at a restaurant.
“I am the head of my household and after losing my job at a restaurant, I had no choice but to get a roommate to reduce rent and living costs while raising my teenage child,” she told Iran International.
Shargh newspaper reported on Thursday that more tenants in Tehran and other large cities are turning to shared housing, returning to parents’ homes or leaving the capital altogether as rent and living costs climb.
The newspaper cited residents who said they were searching for roommates for the first time after years of living independently, while others described plans to move back with family members or relocate to smaller cities after losing income.
A 45-year-old woman who had lived alone in central Tehran for two decades told Shargh she was considering taking in roommates because she could no longer afford rent on her own.
“More than two decades passed living alone and now I have to change my standards,” she told the newspaper. “Paying 400 million rials ($220) in rent in Tehran’s Bahar neighborhood is impossible for me.”
Another resident said he and his brother were looking for a third housemate after his workplace suspended operations and stopped paying salaries.
Reverse migration from Tehran
Shargh said some residents were preparing to leave Tehran entirely after years in the capital, describing what it called a wave of reverse migration driven by economic hardship and shrinking work opportunities.
One editor told the newspaper she was returning to her hometown Kashan in her mid-40s after more than two decades in Tehran because rising costs and declining work in publishing left her unable to continue living independently.
“I thought I would return to Kashan after retirement, not in middle age because I can no longer survive economically in Tehran,” she told Shargh.
The report also pointed to signs of tighter housing supply, citing online property listings and real estate agents who said available rental units had declined while demand increased, particularly after displacement linked to the conflict with Israel.
Erosion of independence
Sociologist Abdolvahab Shahlibar told Shargh that shared housing in Iran is increasingly a financial necessity rather than a lifestyle choice.
“Efforts to improve quality of life have in many cases been replaced by efforts to preserve basic survival,” Shahlibar told the newspaper, warning that being forced to return to parents’ homes or abandon independent living could reshape social relationships and personal identity.
The unsigned notices asked recipients to provide personal details including home and work addresses, bank account information, images of bank cards and links to all their social media accounts.
They were also instructed to sign handwritten pledges not to publish content deemed harmful to the country’s “psychological, social or political security.”
The notices warned that users’ activities were being monitored through “smart surveillance and artificial intelligence systems” and said repeated violations could lead to judicial action and heavier punishment.
Some citizens were further instructed to publish at least 20 posts supporting the Islamic Republic on social media and send evidence that the posts had been uploaded.
Pressure campaigns expand online
The demands mark the latest effort by Iranian authorities to tighten control over online activity following waves of dissent and criticism on social media over the past year.
Recipients were told not to publish all pro-government posts in a single day “to make the activity appear natural,” according to the messages.
Some were also ordered to attend nighttime government rallies that began after US and Israeli attacks earlier this year and continued after a ceasefire took hold. Participants were instructed to photograph themselves carrying Islamic Republic flags or images of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
In several cases, authorities requested identification documents from a guarantor who would accept responsibility for any future “criminal activity” by the targeted individual.
In August 2025, many Iranians wrote on social media that their SIM cards had been abruptly disconnected without warning or court orders after they published critical posts online, particularly in the aftermath of the 12-day war.
Some said security bodies contacted them through the domestic messaging platform Eitaa and told them to meet a series of demands or report to entities including the Prosecutor’s Office cyber division to regain access.
During those visits, citizens said they were ordered to submit copies of their national ID cards and sign written pledges promising to stop critical online activity.
Similar measures were reported in October 2024, when journalists and political activists said security bodies blocked their SIM cards, forced them to delete posts and ordered them to publish content that contradicted their views.
A nail and manicure instructor said her business had effectively stopped operating since March last year as customers struggling to cover basic expenses reduced spending on beauty services.
The woman said internet outages had also cut off income from selling online training packages. At the same time, the signal for her point-of-sale payment terminal had been disabled.
“When I followed up, they told me the signal for payment devices used by ‘non-essential businesses’ had been suspended indefinitely for security reasons,” she told Iran International.
Industrial firms report layoffs, bankruptcies
Messages received by Iran International also pointed to growing unemployment and bankruptcies in industries linked to petrochemicals, ports and construction.
Many workers who lost jobs or faced layoffs said they had turned to ride-hailing services such as Snapp or other unstable work to survive.
One worker in the industrial sector said the price of steel profiles used in construction had more than doubled since before the war, rising from 700,000 rials ($0.38) per kilogram to 1.55 million rials ($0.85).
“Because of these price increases, we’ve been unemployed for three months and can no longer afford raw materials,” he said.
Steel profile prices have risen between 120% and 160% over the past year, according to accounts sent to Iran International.
A cabinet-maker said the price of a single MDF sheet had climbed from 30 million rials ($16.50) last year to between 150 million rials ($82.50) and 170 million rials ($93) this year.
“With raw material costs rising 400% to 470%, continuing the business and paying rent is no longer possible,” he said.
Other citizens previously told Iran International that shortages of iron sheets and petrochemical materials in cities including Isfahan had forced many industrial workshops to close.
Port workers say wages delayed
Iran International also received reports of layoffs and business slowdowns in ports and logistics hubs.
An employee at Rajaei Port said many workers had been dismissed and those still employed often received salaries late.
“The port has become very quiet,” the worker said.
Rajaei, one of Iran’s main commercial ports, was hit by a major fire in May 2025 after what authorities described as an explosion involving a container carrying hazardous chemicals including sodium perchlorate. The blast killed dozens of people.
Several contractors linked to the port had already faced financial difficulties before the explosion and the subsequent war, according to workers familiar with the situation.
Another resident from Bandar-e Emam wrote that companies linked to the port had reduced staff and struggled to pay wages on time.
Iranian outlet Rouydad24 reported on May 7 that workers at Mobarakeh Steel had seen wages reduced to the official minimum despite earlier assurances that salaries would be paid without disruption following US and Israeli attacks.
The report said many skilled workers had turned to app-based taxi driving for income.
Restaurants squeezed by rising prices
Restaurants and food businesses have also come under pressure from higher prices and weakening consumer demand.
The owner of a fast-food restaurant in Lahijan, north of Iran, said the cost of ingredients changed so rapidly that menu prices had to increase almost daily.
“The ingredients for a sandwich sold today for one million rials ($0.55) may cost 1.1 million rials ($0.60) to replace a few days later,” the restaurant owner wrote to Iran International. “Customers are unhappy and we are also being hurt by the situation.”
The decline of the rial had pushed the monthly minimum wage including benefits down to roughly $88 in real terms.
A restaurant owner in Kish said he had already laid off more than 10 employees and now saw closure as the only remaining option.
Customers and business owners also reported sharp increases in fast-food prices, with some sandwiches selling for around five million rials ($2.75) and pizzas reaching 1.2 million rials ($6.60).
