Hossein Samsami, a member of the Economic Commission of the Iranian regime’s parliament (Majlis), citing non-oil export statistics, announced that from 2018 through December 2025, more than $116 billion in export earnings has not returned to the country.
On Saturday, December 13, Samsami, referring to the country’s “limited foreign exchange resources,” said that the “failure to fulfill foreign exchange commitments” by some exporters under these conditions has placed additional pressure on the economy and the production cycle.
He warned that this situation directly affects the activity of the real sector of the economy.
According to Samsami, this is happening while the country’s “real producers” have for months been waiting in line for foreign exchange allocations totaling more than $20 billion to import raw materials, parts, and production machinery.
The removal of preferential foreign exchange for products such as rice and the severe shortage of foreign currency resources in recent weeks have once again become one of the serious challenges facing Iran’s economy, a situation that experts say could place additional pressure on the food market and household livelihoods.
The shortage of foreign currency has limited import capacity and sharply increased the cost of procuring essential goods in the country.
Continuing his remarks, Samsami emphasized that the failure to allocate foreign currency directly has a negative impact on the continuity of production, employment, and the final prices of goods.
The member of parliament added: “The lawmaker has clearly defined obligations regarding the return of export earnings, and any delay or leniency in this matter amounts to the violation of producers’ rights and harm to national interests.”
He called for serious action by the government and the Central Bank, the publication of statistics on offending exporters, and the creation of conditions for the “return of foreign currency to the official economic cycle and the facilitation of producers’ access to foreign exchange resources.”
Hossein Raghfar, an economist and university faculty member, had previously pointed to the non-return of $80 billion in foreign currency over the past five years, describing this figure as evidence of a political will not to return the funds and warning that this trend has intensified class inequality.
One hundred percent increase in the prices of essential goods in one year
Saddif Badri, a member of the presidium of the Iranian regime’s parliament, announced on December 13 that many essential goods have seen price increases of up to 100% over the past year, and that many common medicines, and even medicines for patients with special conditions, have either become scarce or are being sold at very high prices.
According to him, in the past, 40% of the cost of medicine was paid out of patients’ pockets, but this figure has now risen to 70%.
He added that this has placed heavy pressure on households, while insurance providers are also evading their responsibilities under various pretexts.
As a result of the Iranian regime’s ineffective policies in economic, domestic, and foreign affairs over recent decades, runaway inflation has severely affected the lives of citizens, especially low-income groups, and the prices of essential goods, including medicines and healthcare services, have faced an unprecedented surge.
