Iran Reports Food Inflation of 115 Percent in April

Iranian authorities reported accelerating inflation that is affecting household food security. The Statistical Center of Iran said food prices rose 115 percent in Farvardin, the first month of the Persian calendar year that ended on April 20, compared with the same month a year earlier.

Several staple items more than tripled in price. Solid vegetable oil prices increased 375 percent, liquid cooking oil 308 percent, imported rice 209 percent, Iranian rice 173 percent and chicken 191 percent. Butter recorded the smallest increase at 48 percent, followed by infant formula at 71 percent and pasta at 75 percent.

Overall inflation reached 73.5 percent year-on-year according to the center, while the Central Bank of Iran reported a 67 percent rate using a different methodology. A resident of Tehran told Al Jazeera she could no longer afford some items she purchased the previous month.

"And it's not just me – I think most people in society right now can't afford many of the things they want," she said. A young man who works at a liver kebab shop in the capital said the business had raised prices three times in recent months because the price of liver had doubled.

The rial has registered new all-time lows over the past two weeks. On Sunday afternoon it stood at about 1.77 million to the US dollar in Tehran's open market after a marginal recovery. The rate was about 830,000 per US dollar a year earlier.

The government has provided monthly cash subsidies and electronic vouchers for essential goods that total less than $10 per person. Officials are considering raising the amount but face a budget crunch. President Masoud Pezeshkian told officials gathered on Sunday to discuss rebuilding after US and Israeli attacks that people must understand the country's conditions and restrictions.

"The people must realistically understand the conditions and restrictions of the country," President Masoud Pezeshkian said. " He and the Central Bank chief have blamed the war that began in late February while coordinating action against price gouging and hoarding.

The state-run Consumers and Producers Protection Organization directed 31 governors on Sunday that new price hikes for cooking oil are illegal and must be returned to previous levels. A near-total internet shutdown imposed by authorities for 72 days has also affected businesses.

The Guild Association of Internet-based Businesses said in a statement on Saturday that the startup ecosystem of the country is dead.

Both the Statistical Center of Iran and the Central Bank of Iran reported that monthly inflation accelerated in Farvardin. The center recorded a 5 percent increase from the previous month while the bank reported a 7 percent rise. The figures indicate a faster pace for general inflation that has ranked among the world's highest in recent years.

The combined effects of the conflict, sanctions, naval blockade of Iranian ports and the internet shutdown continue to affect households and businesses. Diplomatic efforts to end the war launched by the United States and Israel are intensifying.