A Member of Parliament: Inflation Control Has Failed; People Do Not Believe in Decreasing Inflation

A member of the Parliament's Planning and Budget Commission believes that contrary to officials' statements about decreasing inflation, people do not believe these claims, and the government is trying to lock down the banking network to control inflation. Jabbar Kouchakinejad pointed out on Tuesday, September 7, that despite the government's extensive propaganda about the continued decrease in monthly inflation, the inflation rate for August increased. He noted that governments typically report improvements in economic conditions and claim to reduce inflation. His comments come as the Statistical Center announced the inflation rate for August, revealing that the prices of essential goods and food items continue to rise. According to the latest report, the point inflation, monthly inflation, and annual inflation for August 1402 were reported at 39.8%, 2.4%, and 46.7%, respectively. The report indicated that Yazd and Isfahan had the highest point inflation rates at 50.9% and 48.2%, respectively. In the food category, the point inflation rate for red meat and poultry reached 94.7%. The ILNA news agency also reported at the beginning of August that field monitoring showed significant price increases, with some goods rising by 20% to 30% from mid-July to August 8. Abdolnaser Hemmati reacted to the August inflation on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), stating that according to the Statistical Center's report, both the monthly inflation and point inflation rates increased. The former head of the Central Bank during Hassan Rouhani's government emphasized that he mentioned this to remind government officials who claimed that inflation had decreased, asserting that anyone saying inflation indicators were rising was either a liar or did not understand economics. Earlier, a representative from Bostanabad in the Islamic Consultative Assembly had stated that the real inflation rate in the country was 120%, describing the government of Ebrahim Raisi's claim of 40% inflation as 'playing with numbers.' Gholamreza Noori Ghazaljeh, in a conversation with the news website 'Rouydad 24', had referred to the increase in living costs and the shrinking of family budgets, calling the claim of controlling inflation a 'product of the government's and officials' minds.' A member of the Interior and Councils Commission in Parliament emphasized that the criteria for controlling prices should be reflected in the rates of food items, car prices, housing rents, and household appliances, stating, 'There is no news of truth being expressed.' Government statistics also indicate over 90% inflation for meat; Reza Ghaibi explains the protests over living conditions in Iran, where telecommunications retirees gathered in at least 16 provinces. Inflation is accelerating, with Yazd and Isfahan having the highest inflation rates, and meat inflation surpassing 90%.