Media Reports on the Eve of the Longest Night of the Year: A Yalda of Regret and Inflation

Iranian media have examined the market conditions and people's purchasing power for celebrating this national ceremony on the eve of the longest night of the year; reports that, unlike the past, show no signs of hope and only indicate the arrival of a Yalda filled with regret and inflation; regret for lost years and inflation that has bent the economy of families. The ILNA news agency reported from the Yalda night market that 'a stroll through the market reveals various prices of fruits, sweets, and nuts, with citizens merely observing, and according to market sellers, most people are only inquiring about prices and not buying.' ILNA also referred to statistics from the Ministry of Industry, Mine, and Trade indicating a 30% increase in the average prices of goods since the beginning of the year, with some items seeing increases of up to 60%. This is only part of the story, as the head of the Union of Nut and Dried Fruit Sellers in Urmia stated: 'People are updating their lives according to the inflation in society and can no longer afford nuts as they used to.' Amir Tanabi emphasized that sales have drastically decreased, and currently, nut sellers are facing difficulties in sourcing bulk nuts. Another industry official in Urmia reported a price increase of up to 50% for raw materials such as sugar, oil, especially various nuts, coconut, and chocolate for producing sweets. According to Mohammad Aghavardizadeh, the head of the Bakers' Union, the price of fresh sweets has reached 200,000 tomans per kilogram, while other sweets have reached 250,000 tomans. The Director General of Industry, Mine, and Trade in West Azerbaijan announced the start of a supervisory plan for the Yalda night market in this province, stating that the implementation of this plan will continue until December 30. A review of statistics published by the Statistical Center shows that in the second month of autumn, specifically in Aban 1402, the annual inflation rate for households in the country reached 44.9%. Meanwhile, the wage increase this year has been 27%, leaving employees and workers facing livelihood challenges. Currently, the average salary of workers is around 8 million tomans, and according to media reports, the poverty line in the country has risen above 20 million tomans and over 30 million tomans in Tehran. Uncertainty in the livelihood situation; the path to the poverty line; a 200% increase in wages; the gap between food and housing needs; quality of life in free fall; reduced supply and rising prices of animal feed have made meat expensive; the price of sheep carcasses has reached half a million tomans; the Secretary of the Dairy Products Industries Association of Iran stated that people cannot even afford subsidized dairy products; they want to survive; 70% of workers have a second job; media reported 'absolute misery'; eggs have become the only food for workers; an acknowledgment from a government-supporting news agency: workers' wages cover only 40% of living costs.