Iran International
After Donald Trump said Iran has “a hunger problem” and JD Vance said unfrozen Iranian assets could help “feed the Iranian people,” Iranians pushed back, saying the country’s real crisis is repression, corruption and the fight for freedom, not hunger.
Speaking in Switzerland on Monday, Vance said Washington could agree to release frozen Iranian funds for purchases of US agricultural products such as wheat, corn and soybeans.
"If Iranian assets are ever unfrozen, they're going to go to make American farmers richer and to feed the Iranian people," Vance said.
He said the United States and Qatar would oversee the process, though Iranian officials have disputed that characterization.
Trump made similar remarks on Tuesday, saying money taken out of Iran would go to American farmers to provide “corn, soybeans, wheat to Iran.”
“They have a hunger problem, they have a food problem, they have a medicine problem, they got a lot of problems,” Trump said, adding that inflation in Iran had “hit 300%.”
The remarks sparked widespread reactions from Iran International's viewers, many of whom said the country's struggle cannot be reduced to hunger.
"American officials talk about hunger in Iran as if our problem is a lack of food. Everything exists here. Government policies have made food unaffordable. Sending grain won't solve our problems," one viewer told Iran International.
While many respondents acknowledged the country's worsening economic crisis, they argued that inflation, corruption and decades of mismanagement—not a shortage of food—have made life increasingly difficult.
Others said they have little faith that any economic relief provided to the Islamic Republic would ultimately benefit ordinary citizens.
"Right now the Islamic Republic is probably figuring out how to send that wheat to Lebanon and Iraq," one viewer wrote.
The comment was a reference to the Islamic Republic's long-standing support for regional militant allies and proxy groups. Many respondents argued that Tehran has repeatedly prioritized its regional strategy over the welfare of its own citizens.
Several viewers also objected to what they saw as a portrayal of Iranians as a population waiting to be fed.
"The people of Iran are not hungry. They sacrificed their lives and shed blood for freedom," one respondent said.
Many pointed to the nationwide protests of January 2026, arguing that the movement was driven by demands for freedom and political change rather than economic assistance.
Some referenced the symbolic scene in Abdanan, where protesters threw rice into the air during demonstrations. Videos from the western city showed protesters throwing rice into the air, a gesture many interpreted as a rejection of the idea that their uprising was driven by hunger.
"Mr. Vance, you were not there during those January nights in Abdanan when grains of rice fell from the sky like snow," one citizen wrote.
For many respondents, the image symbolized dignity and defiance. They argued that while many Iranians are struggling economically, the country's crisis is ultimately one of governance and freedom.
They did not deny the depth of economic hardship, but said reducing Iran’s crisis to hunger ignored the political nature of their struggle.
Others stressed that Iran is not a poor country lacking resources.
"Our problem with the Islamic Republic is not only economic. It is a government that opposes human dignity, personal freedoms and Iran's ancient national culture. It is governed by ideology and follows a path separate from the Iranian people," one viewer wrote.
Another respondent was blunter.
"Mr. Vance, Iran is a rich country. If you don't believe me, ask Hezbollah, Hamas, the Popular Mobilization Forces and the Houthis."
The reactions reveal deep skepticism among Iranians who wrote to Iran International toward any agreement that could provide financial relief to the Islamic Republic. For them, the issue is not hunger alone, but freedom, dignity and who ultimately benefits when money flows back into the hands of Tehran.
Residents arriving at bakeries on Tuesday found new official prices in effect following an order issued by Tehran provincial authorities and announced by the Iran Chamber of Guilds' flour and bread working group. Under the new rates, lavash flatbread now costs 27,000 rials (2 cents), yeast-leavened barbari 100,000 rials (6 cents) and sangak 155,000 rials (10 cents).
The average monthly wage in Iran is estimated at around $150. A family relying solely on bread for its food consumption would spend roughly $8-$17 per month, depending on the type of bread purchased.
The increase came only two days after Agriculture Minister Gholamreza Nouri Ghezeljeh said bread price rises were not under consideration and that the government was pursuing plans to transfer subsidies from bakeries to households through an expanded electronic voucher system.
The latest hike continues a trend that began during the presidency of the late Ebrahim Raisi and has accelerated under President Masoud Pezeshkian. Compared with less than a year ago, official price schedules show sangak prices have risen by 104%, barbari by 85% and lavash by 93%.
Before September 2024, when the US dollar traded at around 600,000 rials on the free market, Lavash cost 5,000 rials ($0.008), while Barbari sold for 18,000 rials (3 cents) and Sangak for 30,000 rials (5 cents).
The increase follows similar price rises elsewhere in the country. Bread prices in West Azarbaijan province rose by 70% to 100% last month, while prices in Mashhad increased by an average of 49% in mid-June. Reports from other provinces have also pointed to either higher bread prices or reductions in dough weights, a practice some consumers and analysts describe as hidden inflation.
Card-based bread system
The latest increase comes as authorities continue to rely on the Nanino digital monitoring platform, introduced in 2022 to distribute subsidized flour based on bakery sales.
Many bakers say technical problems and disputed calculations have reduced their flour allocations. Although authorities insist there are no limits on bread purchases, consumers in many areas report restrictions as bakeries attempt to stretch subsidized flour supplies.
Subsidy cuts spark concern
The Pezeshkian administration has steadily reduced support for wheat and flour subsidies since taking office and is examining plans to integrate bread subsidies into the electronic voucher program, a move that could effectively end the current subsidy structure.
The proposal has generated concern even among media outlets generally supportive of state policies. News website Khabar Online warned that public tolerance for rising prices was wearing thin and that additional pressure linked to a staple as widely consumed as bread could provoke a strong public reaction.
"Public tolerance for price increases has reached its limit, and society may face severe tension and shock from any new pressure, particularly over a product such as bread that is consumed extensively across cities, villages and lower-income households," the outlet wrote.
Bakery owners say they face growing costs for labor, utilities and raw materials while operating under regulated prices and delayed subsidy payments. Economists and labor activists warn that repeated increases in bread prices disproportionately affect low-income families because bread remains a key component of household consumption.
The price rise comes as inflation remains elevated. According to Iran's Statistical Center, consumer prices in May were 83.9% higher than a year earlier, while annual inflation reached 57.7%.
As the government moves ahead with subsidy reforms, the price of bread is increasingly becoming a measure of the economic strain facing millions of families across the country.
"Neither have we had a meeting with the director general of the IAEA, nor is there a plan for agency inspections of Iran's damaged nuclear facilities," Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghai told a news conference.
"There is no protocol for this issue," he said.
Vance said on Monday that talks in Switzerland between US and Iranian officials had laid a "very good foundation" for a final agreement to end the war.
Asked when International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors could return, he said the process would start "at a minimum this week" and that conversations with the agency "could happen as soon as today."
President Donald Trump said on Monday that Iran "will agree to have Major Weapons Inspections."
Iran suspended IAEA access to sites hit during last summer’s 12-day war. The UN nuclear watchdog later withdrew its remaining inspectors from the country.
Frozen funds and US farm sales
Baghaei also rejected the idea that Iran had agreed to use frozen funds to buy US agricultural goods, after Vance said the issue had come up in the talks.
Vance said the US had asked Qatar to help set up a mechanism to direct the money.
"We could ensure that the money goes where we want it to go," Vance said. "That will obviously be a big part of the negotiation in the days to come."
He said the arrangement would help "American farmers" and the people of Iran, but added that the funds would not be released unless Washington saw further progress.
Baghaei said Iran would decide how to use its assets based on national interests and needs.
"Any decision will be made based on the interests and welfare of the country," he said.
He said Iran’s agriculture ministry and other bodies would decide on purchases based on price and quality.
Missiles outside talks
Baghaei said Iran’s missile and defense capabilities were not part of the negotiations and would not be discussed.
"Iran's defensive and missile capabilities have absolutely not been part of our talks and will never be a subject of negotiation with any party," he said.
He said Iran and the US had no direct contact after the four-party meeting in Switzerland stopped, and that messages continued through mediators Qatar and Pakistan.
"After the decision to stop the four-party negotiations, we had no direct contact with the American side," Baghaei said.
He said the sides had not held detailed talks on nuclear issues in Switzerland.
"Apart from the general presentation of positions by the American side, no detailed discussion on the nuclear issue took place," he said.
Oil waiver
The US Treasury on Monday issued a 60-day license allowing Iran to produce, sell and deliver crude oil and petrochemicals, with related banking, insurance and transport services.
Baghaei said the oil-sale authorization had taken effect and Iran could use released or previously blocked assets to buy goods it needed.
"What is important for us is access to assets that have been unjustly blocked," he said.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the waiver was linked to Iranian commitments to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and allow IAEA inspectors back into the country.
Lebanon mechanism
Baghai said Iran, the US, Qatar, Pakistan and Lebanon had agreed in principle to a mechanism to oversee the ceasefire in Lebanon and prevent further clashes.
"The details of this mechanism require further examination and work," he said.
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has said Lebanon would be the first "real test" of the agreement.
