Inflation Reaches 'Death'; Funeral Costs Skyrocket

Iranian media have reported that inflation has extended to the costs associated with death, describing the transportation of the deceased from Tehran to other cities or even abroad as requiring 'strange and exorbitant expenses.' Accordingly, the website 'Ruzegar Khodro' has reported that the cost of transporting a corpse from Tehran to Shiraz by ambulance is about 9 million tomans and from Tehran to Ahvaz approximately 12.5 million tomans. This cost is reported to be 6 million tomans to Ardabil and 7.5 million tomans to Mashhad, while for transportation abroad, such as to Germany or Canada, it ranges from 50 to 250 million tomans. Reports indicate that the cost of moving the deceased within Tehran is also around 1 to 1.5 million tomans. Inflation in Iran has affected all aspects of life, including death, to the extent that many families fall below the poverty line and into 'absolute poverty' when a member suffers from specific illnesses or when they lose loved ones. The slogan 'Inflation, rising costs, a plague on the people' was raised during a gathering of retired civil servants in Yazd, highlighting the hidden consequences of inflation; the real wages of workers have reportedly been halved, and the gap between government promises and economic realities is widening, with media stating that officials speak of a 'different Iran.'