Price Of Dollar and Gold Surge to Unprecedented Levels in IranTasnim emphasized that these figures stem from the continued recession in industrial production, energy constraints, declining investment, and rising cost pressures. In recent months, intensified international sanctions, alongside the regime’s structural inefficiency and escalating energy and water crises, have placed heavy pressure on the country’s productive sectors, particularly agriculture and industry. These conditions have led to a rising exchange rate and higher prices for essential goods, severely straining people’s livelihoods. The state-run Mehr News Agency reported on November 30 that due to drought last year, wheat production in the country declined by more than 30%. The decline in agricultural output has occurred alongside rising prices of products, including the price of bread. Iran’s Statistical Center had previously announced that point-to-point inflation reached 52.6% in December, indicating an increase of 3.2% compared to November. The officially announced inflation rate, due to the weighting factors applied by the Statistical Center to consumer groups, is viewed by many citizens and experts as not reflecting market realities.
Iran’s Suffers from Negative GDP Growth in First Half of Persian Year
Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), reported that according to the latest figures released by the Central Bank, gross domestic product growth in the first six months of the current year (from March 21 to September 22, 2025) once again entered negative territory, with economic growth including oil recorded at minus 0.6% and excluding oil at minus 0.8%.
The outlet wrote on Sunday, December 28, that among the main economic sectors, agriculture experienced negative growth of 2.9% and the industries and mining group recorded negative growth of 3.4%.
Tehran Bazaar Shopkeepers Stage Protests in Response to Surge in Foreign Currency Prices
Some shopkeepers at the Alaeddin Mobile Market, a well-known electronics mall in central Tehran, and the Charsou Commercial Complex protested the rise in the price of the U.S. dollar by closing their shops. Videos shared on social media show a tense atmosphere around Hafez Bridge, a major overpass in central Tehran.
From around the afternoon of Sunday, December 28, videos circulated on social media showing shopkeepers at the Alaeddin Mall beginning their protest from inside the complex after shutting their stores, chanting slogans such as “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid / we are all together.”
Iran’s Point-To-Point Inflation Surpassed 52% In DecemberOther videos show the shopkeepers leaving the mall and moving toward Hafez Bridge at the intersection of Jomhuri Street and Hafez Street in Tehran. At the same time, other videos were published showing similar protests by shopkeepers at the Charsou Commercial Complex, located opposite the Alaeddin Mall. The rise in the price of the dollar, which directly affects all sectors of Iran’s economy, has accelerated sharply over the past month. At the same time as the protests at the Alaeddin Mall, the price of one U.S. dollar in the free market surpassed 1.44 million rials. Yesterday, December 27, each U.S. dollar was trading at 1.37 million rials, while one month earlier on the same day, the free-market price was 1.14 million rials per dollar. This is while a worker’s base monthly wage barely reaches 115 dollars. In recent months, runaway inflation and the rising value of foreign currencies have intensified concerns about the deterioration of Iran’s economic conditions.
Price Of Dollar and Gold Surge to Unprecedented Levels in IranOver the past year, the prices of food items in Iran have increased by an average of more than 66%. Even official sources have confirmed the uncontrolled rise in prices in Iran. The Statistical Center of Iran, a state-run body, reported on December 27 that the country’s point-to-point inflation rate had exceeded 52%.
Iran Has Become the Record Holder for Soil Erosion
Hadi Kiadaliri, the vice president of the Iran Forestry Association, criticized prevailing approaches to development, food security, the water crisis, and forest protection, stating that Iran has reached the highest level of soil erosion and has become the record holder for this crisis.
Kiadaliri said in an interview with the state-run ISNA news agency on Sunday, December 28, that according to the findings of a study, “50% of oil revenues” must be spent annually solely on restoring soil fertility in the Zagros region.
He added that between 2004 and 2020, 3.6 million hectares were added to orchard and rain-fed agricultural lands, meaning that nearly 500 hectares of rangelands and forests were destroyed every day.
Every Year, Tens of Thousands of Hectares of Land in Iran Become DegradedThe vice president of the Forestry Association emphasized: “Agriculture in a country where about 93% of the land is arid and semi-arid cannot carry the burden of development, but we have done this, and to achieve it, we have converted many natural resource lands into farmland.” In recent months, the Iranian regime’s policies on water, agriculture, and industry and their widespread consequences across the country, including environmental damage and direct impacts on people’s livelihoods, have drawn increased attention. In November, Roozbeh Eskandari, an environmental researcher, warned in an article that Iran is facing a negative water balance of about 130 billion cubic meters, and that the continuation of the current situation has led to soil erosion, a drinking water supply crisis, the drying up of rivers and wetlands, the spread of dust storms, and an accelerated process of desertification and uninhabitability of the land. Referring to the “failure of the Iranian regime in environmental governance,” he added that in the government’s view, water is not regarded as a vital element and part of the land’s ecological cycle, but rather as an economic resource and a tool for expanding agriculture and industry.
“We defined food security incorrectly”
The vice president of the Forestry Association said in the continuation of the interview: “We used as much water as we could for agricultural development. As a result, we defined food security incorrectly; because food security is not merely about the abundance of food, its availability, and its safety, but environmental resilience is also part of this concept.” Kiadaliri, criticizing about 70 years of exploitation of resources in northern Iran, added: “At one time, we were fighting to implement the forest rest plan. One of the members of parliament said people are poor and forests must be exploited. My question was why people are still poor after decades of exploitation?” He emphasized that achieving sustainable development through environmental destruction is not possible, and that the experience of developed countries has shown that with compatible policies, both can be achieved simultaneously. According to the vice president of the Forestry Association, the concept of “economic development,” in addition to economic growth, pays attention to sustainability, wealth distribution, combating poverty, and improving quality of life. On December 6, Masoud Pezeshkian, the president of Iran’s regime, ordered the official launch of operations for the water transfer project from the Persian Gulf to Iran’s central plateau. At the time, experts warned about the ecological, economic, and hydrological consequences of the project and described it as a “temporary bandage” on the wound of Iran’s water bankruptcy. Earlier in November, the publication “Payam-e Ma” wrote, referring to the government’s decision to accelerate the construction of three large dams on the central plateau, that the move lacks environmental permits and contributes to the worsening of the water crisis.At Least 1,922 Executions in Iran in 2025, Nearly Double Compared to 2024
The Iran Human Rights Monitor (iran-hrm), a human rights website, reported in its new annual report that in 2025 at least 1,956 people were executed in prisons across Iran, representing a 97% increase compared to the previous year. According to the report, among those executed, 10 people were put to death in public, in front of onlookers.
These statistics cover the period from January 1, 2025, to December 20, 2025.
The report states that during this period, in addition to those executed, at least 168 people were sentenced to death by Iran’s regime judiciary, and the death sentences of at least 56 individuals were upheld by the Supreme Court.
Over 400 Global Figures Urge Halt to Execution of Iranian Political PrisonerIt also notes that two individuals who were under 18 years old at the time of the alleged offense, legally referred to as juvenile offenders, were among those executed this year. According to the Iran Human Rights Monitor, 40% of those executed in Iran in 2025 were charged with “murder,” and 50% were executed on charges related to “narcotics.” In 2025, the highest shares of carried-out executions were, respectively, in Alborz Province, which hosts two of the country’s most crowded prisons, with 10.87%; Khorasan Razavi with 8.22%; Isfahan with 7.70%; Fars with 6.92%; and Lorestan with 4.89%. In terms of prisons carrying out executions, Ghezel Hesar Prison in Karaj, Dastgerd Prison in Isfahan, Adelabad Prison in Shiraz, Vakilabad Prison in Mashhad, and Dizelabad Prison in Kermanshah were at the top of execution figures during this period.
Unprecedented execution figures over the past 11 years
Execution statistics over the past 11 years show that the number of executions declined from 2015 to 2020, but rose again from 2021 onward, reaching its highest level in 2025. This significant increase highlights serious concerns regarding the human rights situation and the intensification of executions in Iran. The Iran Human Rights Monitor says that 95% of executions were carried out secretly, meaning without announcement in official or domestic media, and only 5% were reported by media outlets or internal institutions. The relentless increase in the issuance, confirmation, and implementation of death sentences in Iran in recent months has drawn widespread attention from international bodies and has been accompanied by protests inside and outside the country.Iranian Political Prisoner Ehsan Rostami Faces Risk of ExecutionOn December 18, the United Nations General Assembly adopted its annual resolution on the human rights situation in Iran with 78 votes in favor. Earlier, on November 19, the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly had adopted a resolution condemning human rights violations in Iran with 79 votes in favor, a text that this year placed broader emphasis on executions, women’s rights, the suppression of protesters, and transnational repression. Mai Sato, the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Iran, stated on October 30 at a meeting of the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly that Iran’s regime, by carrying out widespread executions, has embarked on a path of “crimes against humanity.”
Protests and strikes in Iran
According to a report by the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a human rights news website, in 2025 at least 2,606 protests and strikes took place, including 2,174 protest gatherings, 407 labor strikes, and 25 professional strikes across various sectors of the country. Among the recorded gatherings, 813 were labor protests, most of them related to wage demands, and in 40 cases workers were prevented from holding their protests. HRANA also reported 940 professional protests and five cases in which such gatherings were prevented, writing that the main focus of these protests was wage demands by professional groups, اعتراض to economic conditions, and objections to the inefficient management of state institutions of the Islamic Republic. In recent years, retirees, workers, and pensioners have repeatedly held protests and marches in various cities across Iran over the failure to fulfill their demands. The livelihood conditions of these groups have led to a significant increase in the number of professional protests and demonstrations.Iran’s Point-To-Point Inflation Surpassed 52% In December
At the same time as the worsening economic situation in Iran, point-to-point inflation in December reached 52.6%, indicating an increase of 3.2% compared to November.
The Statistical Center of Iran, a state-run body under Iran’s regime, reported on Saturday, December 27, that the average annual inflation rate in December also reached 42.2%.
This figure reflects the average increase in the prices of goods and services over the 12 months ending in December compared to the same period the previous year, showing a 1.8% increase compared to November.
Iran’s ‘One-Time Exporters’ Failed to Return 93% Of Their Foreign Currency Export RevenuesThe Consumer Price Index rose by 4.2% on a monthly basis, reaching 435.1 points. Inflationary pressure on lower-income deciles also remained higher than on higher-income deciles. Point-to-point inflation in December was reported at 72% for the food, beverages, and tobacco group, and 43% for non-food goods and services. At the end of December, the annual inflation rate was also 50% for the food, beverages, and tobacco group, and 38.3% for non-food goods and services. Additionally, monthly inflation for milk, cheese, and eggs was reported at 10.2%, and monthly inflation in the bread sector at 7.7%. The officially announced inflation rate, due to the weighting coefficients applied by the Statistical Center to consumption groups, is considered by many citizens and experts not to reflect market realities. Moreover, the sampling used by this center to calculate inflation is based on reports of average commodity prices in the market, which themselves differ from reality. The sharp increase in point-to-point inflation can be one of the early signs or precursors of hyperinflation, as it reflects an accelerating pace of price growth. According to the standard definition, hyperinflation occurs when monthly inflation exceeds 50%, or in other words, when prices rise by more than 1% per day. Under such conditions, if monthly inflation reaches 50% and persists, annual point-to-point inflation can rise to thousands of percent.
Runaway Price Increases and the Shadow of Hyperinflation Over Iran’s EconomyAccordingly, if the 50% monthly inflation recorded in December this year were to continue, the annual point-to-point inflation rate would reach around 13,000%. Hossein Abdeh Tabrizi, an economist and former secretary general of the Tehran Stock Exchange, warned on December 23 that if 60% inflation is repeated next year and the budget does not remain within its announced framework, the country will enter a phase of dollarization. According to him, at this stage inflation could suddenly jump from 60% to 3,000%. In recent months, especially after the activation of the snapback mechanism and the return of United Nations sanctions, citizens have reported daily price increases, saying that even if they shop again after just a few days, they have to buy goods at higher prices. Experts have warned that the continuation of the unprecedented rise in food and essential commodity prices in Iran could lead to serious consequences, including harm to public health, the spread of malnutrition, and intensified psychological pressure on society.
Price Of Dollar and Gold Surge to Unprecedented Levels in Iran
As the sharp upward trend in currency and gold prices in Iran continues, the price of each new-design gold coin, known as the “Emami,” approached the unprecedented level of 1.69 billion rials (approximately 1,214 dollars), while the dollar rate in the open market surpassed 1.44 million rials.
On Sunday, December 28, each British pound was traded at around 1.94 million rials, and each euro at more than 1.69 million rials.
This comes as on December 27; the price of each new-design gold coin was 1.57 billion rials and each U.S. dollar was 1.37 million rials.
Price Of U.S. Dollar In Iran Set A New RecordIn recent months, runaway inflation and the rise in foreign currency exchange rates have intensified concerns over the deterioration of Iran’s economic situation. This trend has intensified following the return of United Nations sanctions and the Iranian regime officials’ insistence on continuing the nuclear program. Over the past year, the prices of food items in Iran have increased by an average of more than 66%. On December 26, Hossein Sammsami, a member of the economic commission of the Iranian regime’s parliament, stated that since the return of U.S. sanctions against the Iranian regime in 2018, 93% of the foreign currency earned from exports carried out by private individuals has not returned to the country.
Citizens protest the rise in gold and currency prices
In recent days, citizens on social media have criticized severe inflation and the decline in their purchasing power to afford daily food items, holding the Iranian regime’s government and Ali Khamenei personally as the main parties responsible for the situation. While the severity of financial and economic crises in Iran continues to rise, Masoud Pezeshkian, the president of the Iranian regime, submitted the 2026 budget bill to parliament on December 23. The government’s plan to increase salaries by 20% without regard to severe inflation has sparked widespread negative reactions. On the other hand, the Iranian regime’s confrontation with the West and the foreign policy pursued by Ali Khamenei, the leader of Iran’s regime, over at least the past three decades have imposed heavy costs on citizens, with sanctions paralyzing a significant portion of the country’s economy. Nevertheless, Abbas Araghchi, the foreign minister of the Iranian regime, on December 26 acknowledged the impact of sanctions on the country’s economic disorder but described these conditions as a factor for the “independence” and “maturity” of the defense and missile industries, saying: “Sanctions caused us to move toward distancing ourselves from a single-axis, oil-based economy.” Araghchi had also told a gathering of economic actors on December 25: “We should accept that sanctions exist and accept that it is possible to live with sanctions… I know very well what sanctions mean and what their costs are. I know their problems, and I also know their blessings.” His remarks about the “blessings” of international sanctions have triggered critical reactions in recent days.Iran’s Regime Prevents Gathering of Families of 1980s Massacre Victims
Reports indicate that security and law enforcement agents of Iran’s regime prevented a group of families of political prisoners executed in the 1980s, including during the summer of 1988, from commemorating their loved ones at Khavaran Cemetery, a burial ground in Tehran associated with mass graves of executed political prisoners.
Law enforcement and security agents who had been deployed at the site since the early hours of Friday, December 26, once again blocked families from entering Khavaran Cemetery by closing its gates.
In addition, they prevented families from gathering at the cemetery entrance and from placing photographs of their loved ones and laying flowers. Khavaran Cemetery is the burial site of thousands of political prisoners executed in 1988, most of whom were members of the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran.
Iranian Regime Figure Tied to 1988 Crimes Against Humanity Reemerges in Academic CirclesAccording to these reports, despite the restrictions, some families laid flowers along the road leading to the entrance or threw their flowers over the walls into Khavaran Cemetery. Previously, there had been numerous reports of authorities preventing families of political prisoners executed in the 2000s from entering Khavaran Cemetery in Tehran to hold commemorative ceremonies. In this regard, dozens of family members and survivors of political and religious prisoners who died in the 2000s stated in a letter to Masoud Pezeshkian, published on January 24, 2025, that they have been barred from entering Khavaran Cemetery for more than eleven months and that the official in charge of the site has compounded their suffering through insulting behavior. In their letter, these families called for the “cessation of burials of other deceased individuals in this cemetery” and the “removal of all obstacles and restrictions to allow their presence and commemoration of their loved ones.” So far, no news has been published regarding any response from Pezeshkian to the families of the executed. Nevertheless, the prevention of families’ entry into Khavaran Cemetery has continued. In the summer of 1988, on the orders of Ruhollah Khomeini and based on rulings issued by bodies known as the “Death Committees,” a very large number of political prisoners were executed, even though they were serving their sentences in the prisons of Iran’s regime. Due to the secrecy of Iran’s regime authorities and institutions, there is no precise figure for the number of those executed, but according to information from the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran, nearly 30 thousand people were massacred over several weeks in the summer of 1988. Khavaran families have repeatedly said that this action by the authorities is not only a desecration of the bodies of the executed, but also an effort to erase evidence of the Iranian regime’s crimes in the 2000s, particularly the massacre of prisoners in the summer of 1988. Iran’s regime not only takes the lives and the right to life of political opponents through execution and killing but also denies their human dignity by preventing commemorative ceremonies. By repressing justice-seeking families, Iran’s regime seeks to silence their calls for accountability and isolate them. It also prevents freedom-seeking people from viewing the pursuit of justice as a national responsibility and from joining these families to prevent the repetition of organized state crimes.
Iran’s ‘One-Time Exporters’ Failed to Return 93% Of Their Foreign Currency Export Revenues
Hossein Samsami, a member of Iran’s regime parliament (Majlis), announced that from 2018, when U.S. sanctions against Iran’s regime were reimposed, until December 16 this year, individuals who engaged in non-oil exports only once failed to return “the equivalent of 93% of the foreign currency earned from their exports.”
Hossein Samsami, a member of the Majlis Economic Commission, told the state-run Khabar Online news website on Friday, December 26, that of the funds not returned to the country, 31 billion dollars are linked to exporters who carried out exports only once.
He added that this amount of debt is “equivalent to 93% of the foreign currency earned from their exports.”
Three American Companies Accused of Exporting Components Used in Iranian and Russian DronesExplaining what happened to this amount of money, the parliament member said that by “not returned,” it means the currency “did not return to the country’s official foreign currency cycle.” Samsami said: “That is, these individuals took their dollars to the free market to be used for smuggling or capital flight, instead of taking them to the Central Bank so the country’s basic needs could be met.” After the United States withdrew from the JCPOA during Donald Trump’s first presidential term and sanctions were reinstated, especially against Iran’s oil exports, officials of Iran’s regime emphasized non-oil exports. However, last year, Hossein Salahvarzi, the former head of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, said regarding non-oil exports that the non-oil trade balance had turned negative and exports had declined. He added that between 2011 and 2022, a twelve-year period, sanctions inflicted about 1.2 trillion dollars in damage on the country.
Total non-oil export debt
Samsami also said that total non-oil exports amounted to 335 billion dollars, but 117 billion and 611 million dollars of that had not been returned, equivalent to 35% of total non-oil exports. This is not the first time this parliament member has reported figures on the debt of non-oil exporters. In the Persian month of Azar (November 22–December 21), he had also cited non-oil export statistics to report this debt and, referring to the “limitations of foreign currency resources” in the country, said that the “failure to fulfill foreign currency obligations” by some exporters under such conditions had placed additional pressure on the economy and the production cycle.However, some media outlets published different figures.
On October 10, the state-run Tasnim News Agency, affiliated with the IRGC, reported that since 2018, about 270 billion dollars in non-oil exports (excluding state-sector exports including oil, electricity, and natural gas) had been carried out, of which about 95 billion dollars, equivalent to 35% of total exports, had not returned to the country. The report added that since 2022, out of a total of 146 billion dollars in non-oil exports, more than 56 billion dollars, about 38%, have still not returned to the country.Accusing Ghalibaf of economic corruption
Regarding the impact of such widespread economic corruption on people’s lives, Samsami said: “Have no doubt that people are paying the price of greed and inefficiency from their livelihoods and their dinner tables.” He added: “The fact that today the price of nuts in the market has reached 14 million rials per kilogram is the result of pricing based on the dollar rate by nut sellers.” He continued: “This means an unfair price increase has been imposed on people, and on the other hand it has strengthened the trend of smuggling and capital flight, since export currency also ends up in the market.” He also said regarding the role of the Majlis speaker in this matter: “Ghalibaf has played a prominent role in failing to pursue this issue and in encouraging the government to raise the exchange rate.” The parliament member said that some statements by Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf “send a signal of not returning currency to dollar holders and exporters, and in following this clear signaling, they not only refrain from delivering their currency to the official cycle but sometimes wait to sell it after the exchange rate rises.”Iran–North Korea Financial Links Revealed in Money-Laundering Network
A report published in South Korea has revealed the identification of financial transactions between Iran’s regime and North Korea.
According to blockchain tracking sources, these transactions were carried out through the money-laundering network of a North Korean operative using cryptocurrencies, with part of the funds transferred to entities affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
The Chosun newspaper reported in an article published on Friday, December 26, that investigations by TRM Labs show that at least 67,000 dollars were transferred in February of this year from a cryptocurrency wallet belonging to SIM HYON-SOP, a North Korean money launderer, to a wallet linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. According to the newspaper, these data indicate that Iran’s regime may have used cryptocurrency to evade sanctions, convert funds into U.S. dollars, or even pay for oil.
Hezbollah Turns to Drug Trafficking in Venezuela as Support from Tehran Dries UpChosun emphasizes that Iran and North Korea, both under severe U.S. sanctions, have increasingly turned in recent years to opaque financial tools, including cryptocurrencies. From analysts’ perspective, identifying these transactions is a sign of overlapping financial networks between the two countries aimed at circumventing the sanctions system. The report goes on to say that SIM HYON-SOP, who is wanted by the FBI on charges of money laundering and sanctions evasion, has played a key role in this network. The reward for his capture was increased in the summer of this year from five million dollars to seven million dollars. SIM, born in 1983 in Pyongyang, has cooperated with North Korea’s Foreign Trade Bank and is listed under U.S. sanctions. According to Chosun, SIM was mainly active in Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates and used aliases such as “Sim Ali” and “Sim Hajim,” presenting himself as a representative of Kwangson Bank. His network included North Korean information technology workers who, after obscuring transaction trails, transferred cryptocurrencies obtained from hacking or wages to wallets under SIM’s control. These funds were then converted into U.S. dollars through brokers in the United Arab Emirates or China and, after multiple laundering transactions, deposited into accounts of shell companies established in Hong Kong. According to the report, foreign currency earnings of North Korean workers in Russia, China, and Africa also entered SIM’s network through the same route. Chosun writes that part of this money was not sent directly to North Korea but was instead spent on purchasing goods, equipment, and even weapons needed by Kim Jong Un’s regime. Among the examples cited is the use of a company in Zimbabwe to purchase a 300,000-dollar helicopter in Russia and deliver it to North Korea. Additionally, about 800,000 dollars were spent to procure raw materials for producing counterfeit cigarettes, one of Pyongyang’s main sources of income. Another part of the report states that U.S. banks, including Citibank, JPMorgan, and Wells Fargo, failed to detect SIM’s money-laundering activities, and at least 310 transactions totaling 74 million dollars were processed through the U.S. financial system. Referring to data from the Financial Action Task Force and the company Chainalysis, the report adds that dozens of North Korean “shadow bankers” are active outside the country and over several years have laundered more than six billion dollars in stolen cryptocurrency for the regime. Chosun concludes that despite the issuance of an arrest warrant for SIM HYON-SOP by a U.S. federal court in March 2023, his capture still appears difficult and nearly impossible, a matter that observers say highlights serious gaps in international financial oversight and the challenges of confronting joint money-laundering networks involving countries such as Iran and North Korea.
Collapse of Iran’s handmade carpet industry
The Financial Times reported that Iran’s handmade carpet industry is facing an unprecedented collapse, with exports falling to their lowest level due to U.S. sanctions and the Iranian regime’s currency regulations.
The Financial Times wrote on Friday, December 26, that Iranian carpets, renowned for their artistic delicacy and the skill of their weavers and with a production history spanning thousands of years, are now produced in far smaller quantities than in past decades, and Iran has lost a large part of its former position in the global carpet market.
Quoting figures active in Iran’s carpet industry, the newspaper added that regional instability has also contributed to the collapse of this industry, and the current situation has dealt serious damage to local businesses.
Iran’s Carpets Industry on the Decline as Economy Continues to Spiral DownAn Iranian carpet weaver said in this regard that the cost of producing carpets is very high, while the resulting profit is negligible. According to him, preparing the wool and silk for one carpet costs about 250 dollars, and then nearly one year is spent weaving it. Even if the carpet turns out completely flawless, its sale price is usually around 600 dollars. The lack of government support and social security coverage has pushed him to the brink of exhaustion: “I work with constant back and leg pain, but I cannot afford to hire an assistant weaver.” According to statistics from the Carpet and Handicrafts Commission of Iran’s Chamber of Commerce, the value of carpet exports in the year ending in March 2026 will fall to less than 40 million dollars, compared to 41.7 million dollars the previous year. Morteza Haji Aghamiri, chair of commission, said export figures had been below $100mn — “so meagre we can say it is practically zero” — for six years running, down from a peak of more than $2bn three decades ago. This is while Iran’s carpet exports reached more than two billion dollars about three decades ago. In October, Agence France-Presse, referring to the critical condition of Iran’s carpet market, reported that carpet exports from Iran have faced a 95% decline.
