:hambastegimelli
In recent months, Iranian society has been confronted with a harsh and unmistakable reality: the inability of a large segment of the population to meet even the most basic necessities of daily life. The runaway rise in the prices of essential goods, alongside sharp increases in the prices of foreign currency and gold, has placed immense pressure on households already bent under the weight of chronic inflation and prolonged economic stagnation.
Today, inflation is no longer a temporary shock or breaking news; it has become the “new normal” of everyday life. Field reports from markets indicate that goods such as rice, cooking oil, meat, dairy products, and even bread are being sold almost daily with new price tags. Under these circumstances, the purchasing power of salaried workers and pensioners has sharply declined, forcing many families to gradually remove essential items from their household consumption baskets.
The continuous rise in currency exchange rates has become one of the main drivers of price inflation. The depreciation of the national currency has not only increased the cost of imported goods but has also driven up domestic production costs, further fueling inflationary pressures. In the absence of economic stability and a clear outlook, the dollar and other foreign currencies have shifted from being mere instruments of exchange into indicators of public anxiety about the future.
Daily fluctuations in exchange rates send a clear message to the market: instability. This instability has not only stalled investment and production but has also severely undermined the psychological security of society.
Alongside currency volatility, the gold market has witnessed unprecedented price increases. For many people, gold has long served as a final refuge for preserving the value of savings against inflation. However, the sharp rise in gold and coin prices has pushed this option beyond the reach of middle- and lower-income groups, turning gold from a common savings tool into a luxury commodity.
The growing demand for gold is less a sign of economic vitality than a reflection of deep mistrust in the country’s economic future—mistrust rooted in political uncertainty, economic ambiguity, and unstable policymaking.
The reality is that a wide segment of society is now concerned not with prosperity, but with survival. Wages no longer keep pace with inflation, government support measures are insufficient, and the middle class—long regarded as a pillar of social stability—is rapidly eroding.
The continuation of this trend will have consequences far beyond the economy alone. Rising inequality, the expansion of hidden poverty, the erosion of social capital, and increasing public dissatisfaction are only some of the outcomes of this troubling situation.
The surge in currency and gold prices is not merely a market phenomenon; it is a clear sign of a crisis in economic policymaking. Restoring stability requires courageous decisions, structural reforms, financial transparency, and the rebuilding of public trust. Without such measures, the burden of living costs will continue to grow heavier on the shoulders of the people.
The people of Iran need more than promises—they need tangible improvements at their dinner tables;
tables that, these days, are smaller than ever before.
