With 7 million already undernourished and food prices soaring, experts blame the regime’s corrupt resource system for creating mass poverty
Iran is facing a growing hunger crisis that economists warn could push nearly half the country into food insecurity. According to Hossein Raghfar, a regime-affiliated economist, around 10% of Iranians—some seven million people—are already suffering from malnutrition and hunger, and the number could rise to 40% of the total population if current policies continue.
Speaking to Khabar Online on November 10, Raghfar described the situation as catastrophic:
“Even if these people spend all their income on food, they still cannot get enough calories.”
He attributed this worsening crisis to what he called a “discriminatory system of resource and opportunity allocation”, in which proximity to power determines access to wealth. “Those closer to the centers of power gain control over larger resources and opportunities,” he said.
Raghfar warned that Iran’s economic model has created a tiny, ultra-wealthy elite embedded within the regime, manipulating policies in their favor while the majority sinks into poverty. He compared the current hunger levels to the famine that struck Iran during World War I—then caused by British policies—but said today’s crisis is “the result of greed, stupidity, and betrayal from within.”
He cautioned against assuming the population would remain passive:
“It is naïve to think people will simply watch themselves grow hungrier. This path will inevitably lead to strong social reactions.”
Recent reports indicate that 35% of deaths in Iran are linked to malnutrition. Data from the Health Ministry shows at least 10,000 annual deaths from omega-3 deficiency, another 10,000 from inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption, and 25,000 more due to a lack of whole grains in diets. Meanwhile, 50–70% of Iranians suffer from vitamin D deficiency, leading to widespread immune and bone problems.
Economic hardship has made basic foodstuffs unaffordable for many. Majid Mirlatafi, a university professor, recently warned that “the price of yogurt will soon double, and even bread and yogurt will be beyond reach for most families.”
Labor activists report that the cost of a minimal household basket has reached 58 million tomans per month, while the government-set minimum wage is under 11 million tomans—barely a fifth of the living cost. Farmerz Tofighi, a labor expert, denounced this as “wage suppression,” a systemic tool to keep workers impoverished while protecting elite interests.
Ordinary citizens confirm the collapse of living standards. Many report being forced to remove basic foods from their weekly purchases. Some said to the media: “Meat disappeared from our table weeks ago.”
Another said: “Every week I must decide which food to cut from my shopping list to survive until month’s end.”
Meanwhile, Mansour Pourian, head of the National Livestock Supply Council, revealed that even imported frozen meat, once considered a low-cost alternative, has become unaffordable: “Brazilian frozen meat that used to sell for 385,000 to 420,000 tomans now costs between 600,000 and 700,000.”
He added that Indian frozen meat, which should not exceed 400,000 tomans, is now sold at 650,000.
Behind these soaring prices lies the entrenched corruption Raghfar has long criticized. He pointed to the regime’s $4 billion allocation for car imports over the past year—funds diverted from essential goods like medicine and food.
“These policies serve the interests of super-capitalists at the expense of millions of hungry people,” he said.
For many Iranians, the hunger crisis is no longer just an economic issue—it is a moral indictment of a regime that has chosen to protect the powerful while abandoning its people to starvation.
