The livelihood crisis and intensifying economic pressures in Iran have now affected one of the most basic daily necessities for people: bread. Reports and messages received on Tuesday, June 9, from Tehran, Karaj, Isfahan, Khorasan Razavi, Mazandaran, and several other provinces indicate that, in addition to official and unofficial increases in bread prices in many cities, some bakeries receiving government-subsidized flour have begun rationing bread sales and are selling only a limited number of loaves to each customer.
These reports come as public disputes have intensified in recent days among the government, state-run media outlets, and officials of Iran’s regime over responsibility for the economic crisis.
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In some areas of Tehran, bakeries receiving government-subsidized flour have informed customers that it is not possible to sell more than three barbari loaves or two sangak loaves (a traditional Iranian bread) to each person. At the same time, some residents have reported restrictions on purchasing bread using bank cards.
According to a directive communicated to some bakeries, purchasing more than three loaves of bread with a single bank card is not permitted, and customers must use another bank card if they wish to buy more. This has caused confusion and protests among many people.
Inflation, rising prices, and economic pressures have spiraled out of control. Sangak bread, which cost 70,000 rials just three months ago, is now sold for more than 200,000 rials, and each bakery charges its own price.
The reduction in government flour allocations and rising production costs have placed many bakeries in a difficult situation. Labor costs, shop rents, electricity bills, and raw material expenses have multiplied. Flour allocations have also been reduced, and some bakeries genuinely struggle to pay their workers’ wages.
In recent days, bread price increases have also been officially announced in various provinces across Iran. In Zanjan, the deputy governor reported an average increase of about 60% in bread prices, while in Yazd, new rates were communicated to bakeries starting on June 8. In North Khorasan Province, bread prices increased by an average of up to 80%.
In Mashhad, trade officials also reported an approximately 50% increase in bread prices. Government officials in Markazi Province likewise confirmed that the prices of some bread varieties have risen by more than 80% for consumers.
Meanwhile, field reports indicate that official price controls are effectively not being enforced in Tehran, and many bakeries producing sangak, barbari, and taftoon bread are selling their products at prices far above government-set rates.
Rising production costs in the agricultural sector have also fueled the latest wave of price increases. According to a report by the state-run Donya-e-Eqtesad newspaper, the cost of supplying certain chemical fertilizers has increased by as much as 600% this year, driving up the prices of wheat and other essential products and placing additional pressure on household budgets.
As the livelihood crisis intensifies, divisions within the ruling establishment have become more visible. While Masoud Pezeshkian, the president of Iran’s regime, has attributed part of the economic problems to external pressures and the consequences of war and has urged the public to be aware of the costs of resistance, media outlets aligned with rival factions and some officials from the previous administration identify the government’s economic policies as the primary cause of inflation.
In recent days, these disputes have even escalated into clashes between Pezeshkian’s associates, managers of state media outlets, and officials of IRIB, Iran’s state broadcaster, on social media and in state-run media.
These developments come as many people in Iran say the issue is no longer merely the rising price of a single commodity or restrictions on purchasing a specific product. Rather, it is about the continuous decline in purchasing power and the shrinking capacity of household budgets. What is now visible in bakery lines is only a sign of a broader crisis in Iran—a crisis that began with inflation, the devaluation of the national currency, resource shortages, and the consequences of war, and has now reached even bread, the most basic staple consumed by millions of Iranians.
