The poverty line in Tehran has reached $600/month

Poverty line in Iran’s capital reaches new high

The poverty line in Iran is rising and more of the country 85+ million population is now considered as living in poverty. This is according to Mohammad Bagheri Banayee, a member of the regime’s Majlis (parliament), adding that due to the inflation witnessed in the past year or two, “the poverty line in [the Iranian capital] Tehran has reached 300 million rials (approximately around $600).”

It is worth noting that the minimum monthly salary of wage earners in Iran is approximately 80 million rials, meaning a mere $155.

Considering the circumstances surrounding housing, rent, livelihood, and inflation in Iran, the “middle class is practically being pushed towards living in Tehran’s slums or neighboring cities,” he explained.

This member of the Majlis economic commission warned of the consequences of “rising poverty line” and the decline of the “middle class into poverty and the spread of city slums” across the country. “We may witness numerous social and political issues in the close future,” Banayee added.

While this regime MP sheds light on the rising the poverty line in Tehran to 300 million rials ($600), the Labor Ministry’s annual report on “Monitoring the Poverty Line”, published January 1, indicated that the poverty line in Tehran during the 12-month period of March 21, 2021, to March 21, 2022, was 74 million rials (approximately $150). This indicates that the poverty line has multiplied several times over the two years since.

While regime authorities and government media have recently reported the release of a portion of Iran’s blocked foreign assets in Iraq, Bagheri Banayee said, “Practically speaking there will be no  release of blocked assets  and dollars will not be sent to Iran. Instead, essential commodities and medicines will be provided to Iran in exchange for the [frozen currency] we have in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and South Korea.”

This Economic Commission member also added, “Even if such currency is made available to Iran, they are so meager that they will not play a significant role in the country’s economy.”

On Monday, June 12, at the “30th Conference on Monetary and Currency Policies,” Mohammad Reza Farzin, governor of the regime’s Central Bank, delivered a speech on the money in foreign banks that Tehran seeks to see unfrozen.  “We have over $100 billion in foreign exchange resources, and with good diplomatic measures, we should utilize the resources we have in other countries,” he said.

In response to these remarks, however, Banayee argued that “even with the $100 billion in foreign exchange resources mentioned by the Central Bank governor, nothing can be done for the country because the government’s expenses have skyrocketed to such an extent that these amounts may be sufficient for a mere few months, but they are not enough for long-term projects.”

The devaluation of the national currency, along with Iran’s increasing inflation rate and the regime’s economic policies as a whole, have led to a severe rise in poverty and an increasing number of people living below the poverty line throughout the country.

The extent of this expansion is so widespread that Ali Agha Mohammadi, head of the Economic Group in the Office of the regime’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, and a member of the mullahs’ Expediency Discernment Council, also confirmed on May 19 that at least “19.7 million people in Iran are deprived of basic necessities of life such as housing, employment, up to 12 years of education, healthcare, food, and clothing.”