Hossein Raghfar, a state-affiliated economist, stated that currently around 10% of Iran’s population is suffering from malnutrition and hunger. He warned that if current trends continue, “the poor population” will reach about 40% of the total population.
On Tuesday, November 11, in an interview with the state-run news website Khabar Online, he described the malnutrition that affects seven million people in Iran, saying: “Even if these individuals spend all their income on food, they still cannot get enough calories.”
Raghfar blamed this situation on the “discriminatory system of resource and opportunity allocation,” adding: “Today we see that the closer someone is to the power structure, the greater resources or opportunities they have captured.”
The university professor also pointed out another social observation: “On one side, poverty is growing, and on the other, a small but extremely wealthy class has emerged, which is influential within the system and manipulates policymaking in its favor.”
Iranian Regime’s Failure to Curb Inflation Fuels Economic Anxiety and Distrust
He compared the current hunger situation to the famine during the British occupation of Iran in World War I, saying: “That disaster resulted from the deliberate actions of the British, but the current hunger is caused by stupidity and greed combined with betrayal.”
The state-affiliated economist described the notion of people “waiting forever” as “a hollow and naive idea,” warning: “It is wrong to think that people will just sit by and watch themselves grow hungrier. The continuation of this situation will ultimately lead to severe social reactions.”
Growing hunger and wages that cannot fill dinner tables
In mid-October, domestic Iranian media reported that about 35% of all registered deaths in Iran are due to malnutrition.
According to estimates by the Ministry of Health, at least 10,000 people die each year due to omega-3 fatty acid deficiency, about 10,000 due to inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption, and another 25,000 from a lack of whole grains and bread in their diet.
Between 50% and 70% of Iran’s population also suffers from vitamin D deficiency—a crisis that directly results in weakened immune systems and increased bone diseases.
Majid Mirlatafi, a faculty member of Tarbiat Modares University, recently warned that “the price of yogurt will soon double, and people will no longer be able to afford even bread and yogurt.”
In this regard, labor activist Faramarz Tofighi, a former member of the wage committee of the Supreme Labor Council, told the state-run ILNA news agency on Sunday, November 9: “The cost of the so-called living basket, even based on official calculation standards, has now reached around 580 million rials.”
This figure comes while the Supreme Labor Council had set the base wage for workers covered by labor law in March 2025 at less than 110 million rials (about $100). With benefits included, the total is around 150 million rials.
Frozen meat has become a dream
Mansour Pourian, head of the Livestock Supply Council, told the state-run news site Didban Iran on Tuesday, November 11, that prices have risen so sharply that “a significant portion of society can no longer afford Brazilian frozen meat.”
Pourian added about frozen meat: “The real price of such meat should not exceed 4 million rials (about $3.6), but it is currently being sold in the market for as much as 6.5 million rials (about $6).”
Raghfar also referred to car imports under the fourteenth government, noting that the regime had spent about $4 billion over the past year on importing cars, while lacking sufficient foreign currency to import medicine and other essential goods.
He considers such decisions the result of “prioritizing the interests of super-capitalists” over people’s needs, stressing that the policies are designed so that “a tiny minority” benefits while leaving millions hungry.
As the Iranian regime continues to fail in addressing the demands of various groups, workers, employees, and retirees across Iran have staged strikes and protests in recent weeks and months.
On Tuesday, the Coordinating Council of Teachers’ Trade Associations reported nationwide protests by employees of the Welfare Organization, noting that staff in over 20 cities held signs at their workplaces protesting poor working conditions, injustice, and their deteriorating livelihoods.
Gathering of three thousand contract oil workers in Asaluyeh
Simultaneously, more than 3,000 contract workers from the South Pars Gas Complex gathered in front of the central building in Asaluyeh, demanding wage equalization, changes to the work schedule model, and the complete elimination of contractors.
Continuing protests by permanent oil workers
Permanent employees of the Offshore Oil Company in Siri and Lavan regions also held gatherings as part of their ongoing labor protests.
They demanded “the correction of base salaries for minimum-wage employees, removal of wage caps for operational staff, and elimination of fictitious job titles” in operational areas.
The employees also demanded “full payment of retirement bonuses, reimbursement of excess taxes collected, full implementation of Article 10 of the law concerning official employees along with its back pay, and complete independence of the Oil Pension Fund.”
Gathering of retirees in Kermanshah and continued protests by nurses in Mashhad
A group of government and Social Security retirees gathered in front of the National Pension Fund building in Kermanshah province.
Thousands of Oil Workers in Iran Demand Removal of Contractors and Equalization of Wages
The retirees protested their poor living conditions and demanded implementation of the wage equalization plan, improvements to their insurance coverage, and fulfillment of other pending demands.
Other demands included the release of political prisoners and an end to execution sentences.
Meanwhile, a group of nurses and healthcare workers in Mashhad gathered and marched for the second consecutive day in the courtyard of Imam Reza Hospital.
