Every time Iranian regime President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks publicly, it feels as though he has only just arrived in the country. His words often reflect a striking detachment from the harsh realities facing millions of Iranians. As poverty tightens its grip on more than 80% of the population, the government continues to invest national wealth into nuclear development, ballistic missile programs, and regional proxy groups—ignoring the domestic crisis unfolding within its own borders.
Meanwhile, state-run media, which are largely preoccupied with the narrative around US-Iran nuclear negotiations, occasionally allow glimpses into the economic collapse many Iranians face—particularly when it serves a political purpose. One such instance came in a recent article published by the state-affiliated economic outlet Eghtesaad-24, titled: “Fire Under the Ashes of Inflation: What Harm Will the Removal of Preferential Meat Exchange Bring to the Economy?”
The piece offered a rare and sobering assessment of Iran’s food insecurity crisis—centered on the soaring cost of red meat and the government’s controversial decision to eliminate subsidies that once kept prices relatively stable.
“After eliminating the government currency which was supposed to meet the basic needs of the people,” the article reports, “it is now time to remove products from the list of essential goods… Hot meat was removed from the list of essential goods.”
#Iran News in Brief
Latest report from Iran's Statistical Center reveals staggering food price hikes over the past year. Red meat and chicken soar by 93%, while fish and seafood spike by 64%. The #economic strain is evident as buying basics feels like borrowing for luxury. Read… pic.twitter.com/w8wqWBl1w5— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) February 29, 2024
This shift, according to the article, reflects more than a mere bureaucratic reshuffling. It exposes a deeper pattern of dysfunction within Iran’s governing institutions.
“The issue of accountability and its lack… has led to [ministries] refusing to accept their great responsibilities in providing for the livelihood needs of the people,” according to the article. “This means shunning the duties of the government.”
The article reveals the shocking consequences of this policy change: skyrocketing prices, declining meat consumption, and growing nutritional poverty among low-income households.
“The removal of hot meat from the list of essential commodities and the consequent skyrocketing price of this food item have dealt a fatal blow to the food basket of low-income households,” the article warns.
According to Eghtesaad-24, meat prices have climbed beyond the reach of most Iranian families. A single kilo of red mutton now sells for 600,000 tomans (approximately $9 at open market exchange rates), while boneless mutton can reach 1.8 million tomans per kilo. In some cases, specialty cuts are priced as high as 2.7 million tomans—more than half the average monthly salary in Iran.
Sharp Rise in Food Prices in Iran; Meat and Rice Lead the Surge
“The increase in meat prices is not just an economic issue; it is a social crisis that threatens the health and future of millions of people,” the article reads in part.
Statistical insights from the article are equally alarming. Average per capita red meat consumption in the country is now estimated at just 2.6 kilograms per year. Among the lowest-income 30% of society, the number drops to an astonishing 700 grams annually. That means many Iranians—whether employed or retired—do not consume even one kilogram of red meat per year.
“With these prices… about 90 percent of the country’s population would like to consume meat, but they cannot afford it, and this is not important to the government,” Eghtesaad-24 writes.
What was once a staple on Iranian dinner tables has now become a luxury item reserved for the wealthy. The article describes this transformation as a “silent earthquake” within the household economy and a “major tremor in the country’s macroeconomic structure.”
According to the article: “Meat, not so long ago, had a special place on the Iranian table… However, with the skyrocketing price increase, this valuable food item gradually disappeared from the tables and its share in the household spending basket experienced a free fall.”
#Iran’s Economic Collapse Edges Toward Political Eruptionhttps://t.co/4x3nBqw0CI
— NCRI-FAC (@iran_policy) April 24, 2025
The government justifies the removal of meat subsidies as part of a broader economic reform strategy. But the real-world consequences suggest that instead of alleviating inflation, such measures are exacerbating it—driving inequality, eroding nutrition, and further weakening public trust.
“The elimination of the preferential meat exchange rate… has in practice become a factor in exacerbating inflation and reducing people’s purchasing power,” the article reads in part.
Despite official rhetoric, the message from this state-run economic outlet is clear: Iranians are going hungry, and government policy is making things worse.
If left unaddressed, this growing gap between policy and people’s needs may escalate into a broader social emergency. As Eghtesaad-24 starkly concludes: “Iranian tables will become smaller and smaller day by day, and the country’s economy will become sicker and sicker day by day.”