Iran to raise diesel prices in politically sensitive move

Zeidabadi's remarks came after Pezeshkian reaffirmed his commitment to the promises he made during his June 2024 election campaign. Pezeshkian frequently repeats this claim when confronted with accusations of breaking or neglecting his promises.

The commentator remarked, “Pezeshkian explicitly promised to lift sanctions on Iran, guarantee social liberties, and end the ban on social media. He now needs to clarify which of these promises he still stands by.”

Although Pezeshkian has consistently advocated for negotiations with President Donald Trump’s administration, Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei prohibited such talks in early February. As a result, Pezeshkian aligned with this stance, stating that negotiating with Trump is not a realistic option.

He added: "When I talk with the people, I realize that Pezeshkian's popularity is declining and those who had voted for him feel frustrated. We have not seen any initiative from him for a long time now, and this is dangerous for him and the country."

Earlier, Iranian media on both ends of the country's political spectrum had summed up what Pezeshkian had promised to voters.

Mehr News Agency, affiliated with conservative clerics, highlighted that Pezeshkian made 10 promises to revive Iran's struggling economy. These included preventing gasoline price hikes, stabilizing the stock exchange, reducing inflation, addressing deteriorating living standards, establishing a unified exchange rate, permitting the import of foreign vehicles, and promoting social justice.

Mehr also highlighted Pezeshkian’s promise to guarantee freedom and dignity for Iranian women. He had stated, “Just as pre-1979 governments failed to eliminate the hijab, we cannot impose it on women.” However, mandatory hijab remains a deeply contentious social and political issue in Iran.

Even Reformist newspaper Etemad, which backs the president, drew attention to Pezeshkian’s economic promises under six key areas: dismantling the centralized government-controlled economy, opening up to international trade and diversifying trading partners, combating economic cronyism and ending special privileges for the well-connected, fostering a competitive market, enhancing living standards, and supporting the stock exchange to encourage public participation in the economy.

Other media outlets also highlighted Pezeshkian’s civil rights promises, including protecting women from harassment by hijab enforcers, promoting women to key government positions, ending government censorship of the internet and social media, safeguarding university students and professors from dismissal, allowing Sunni Muslims to hold top positions, encouraging political participation by ethnic minorities, lifting censorship on books and the press, and combating discrimination and injustice.

Critics have increasingly pointed out that most of Pezeshkian's promises remain unfulfilled, with minimal progress on key issues such as the hijab and internet censorship.

For example, Zeidabadi noted that while the controversial Hijab Enforcement Bill has been suspended, it has not been fully abolished.

Meanwhile, addressing remarks from both critics and supporters who argue that resolving Iran’s nuclear and other disputes with the United States is essential for tackling the economic crisis, Zeidabadi urged Pezeshkian to clarify his stance. He asked, “If negotiating and reaching a deal with Trump is impossible, then what is your alternative solution?”

The commentator also criticized Pezeshkian’s administration for its lack of strategy and decisiveness, questioning, “If the government lacks the authority to address these issues, why should it continue to exist?”

Xuanyu Harry Pang, 38, of North Chicago, pleaded guilty on Nov. 5, 2024, to conspiracy and attempted destruction of national defense facilities, but his case was unsealed on Thursday.

"In the summer of 2021, Pang communicated with an individual in Colombia about potentially assisting with a plan involving Iranian actors to conduct an attack against the United States to avenge the death of Qasem Soleimani ," the US Justice Department said in a press release.

Soleimani, a commander of IRGC's Quds Force was killed in a US drone strike near Baghdad International Airport in January 2020, a move ordered by US President Donald Trump.

An undercover FBI employee, posing as an affiliate of the IRGC's foreign operations arm the Quds Force, later engaged with the Colombian contact, who connected the agent to Pang.

While stationed at Naval Station Great Lakes, Pang discussed possible attack targets, including the base and other locations in the Chicago area.

Pang met with an undercover FBI operative three times in late 2022, including in downtown Chicago and Lake Bluff, Illinois. During these meetings, he provided images and videos of the naval base, US military uniforms, and a cell phone that could serve as a test detonator.

Pang remains in custody and faces up to 20 years in prison. His sentencing date has not been set.

"People in Iran, based on historical experiences and decades of efforts now demand a transition from tyranny to democracy, meaning a shift away from the Islamic Republic," she said.

Mohammadi, who won the Nobel Prize in 2023, is currently on temporary leave from prison.

In her interview featured on the cover of a Nouvel Obs special edition on Iran, she described the government in Tehran as unaccountable and inefficient, asserting that its downfall is inescapable and what Iranians want.

"The transition from the Islamic Republic is aimed at creating a democratic and secular structure where human rights and women's rights are guaranteed, and civil society is realized and strengthened," she said.

Mohammadi, 52, has spent much of the past 20 years in and out of prison. She has been arrested, tried, and sentenced to prison multiple times because of her human rights work.

Last December Mohammadi was released from Tehran's Evin prison to receive medical care where she was serving a 13-year sentence.

She was awarded the Nobel peace prize for her three-decade campaign for women's rights in Iran.

The Revolutionary Guards are a paramilitary and intelligence organization which helps arms and trains Shi'ite armed groups in the region.

US President Donald Trump designated the IRGC a terrorist organization in 2019 and ordered the assassination of its commander Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike in Baghdad the next year.

The European Union has so far held off on such a designation for the IRGC as a whole though it has designated individuals in the organization. None of the EU member states list it as a terrorist organization.

"To defeat the IRGC, which is responsible for sponsoring terrorist attacks against innocent civilians across the globe, the United States cannot act alone," congresswoman Claudia Tenney, a co-sponsor of the so-called Encouraging the EU to DESIGNATE Resolution, said in a statement.

"It's time for our EU allies to step up and follow suit .. this will send a strong message that the West is united against the IRGC's malicious actions and that we will hold them accountable for their vile acts of terrorism," the New York Republican added.

The EU has designated the Palestinian armed movement Hamas and the military wing of Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist organizations. Both groups, along with the Houthi group in Yemen and various militias in Iraq are backed by IRGC.

A full terrorism designation imposed on the IRGC would enable European law enforcement greater police and investigatory powers to prosecute Iranian officials and organizations.

The classification could also have profound dent European-Iran trade relations, as the IRGC controls a large portion of the Islamic Republic's economy.

“With Tehran more isolated than ever, now is the time to tighten the screws— we must not ease up or give the IRGC room to regroup," congressman Brad Schneider said.

"The US and Canada have already acted, and I urge our European allies to join us," the Illinois democrat said.

Despite government statistics indicating a food inflation rate of 26.6% and an overall inflation rate of 32%, supermarket prices have risen far beyond these numbers, leaving many Iranians struggling to afford basic goods.

Supermarket prices have surged beyond what official reports indicate, leaving many citizens once considered middle class struggling to maintain their previous standard of living.

“We have stopped buying many things we used to consider normal, like nuts or even good quality rice,” said Mansour, 52, a resident of Tehran, who used to work in the banking sector but now finds his salary insufficient. “My children don’t understand why we’ve cut back so much.”

The economic crisis, which was once felt primarily by low-income families, has now engulfed middle-class households as well.

The Iranian rial has depreciated by more than 50% since September, falling to approximately 940,000 rials per US dollar. The collapse, combined with persistently high inflation—averaging around 40% annually over the past five years—has left many struggling to afford basic needs.

Official numbers versus market reality

Iran’s Ministry of Labor bases annual salary increases on official inflation figures, but market prices have consistently outpaced these statistics. A recent analysis by Iran International found that 15 key household items had increased in price by an average of 12% in just one month.

After cooking oil prices soared in December and potatoes became significantly more expensive in January, February has seen a sharp rise in the cost of legumes—some doubling in price within two weeks.

A survey of grocery prices in major cities, including Tehran, Mashhad, Isfahan, and Tabriz, found that household consumption costs had risen between 22% and 360% in the past week, with an average increase of 150%.

A 500-gram pack of tea, which cost 2 million rials ($2.13) last year, is now 4.6 million rials ($4.89).

Dairy products have also seen sharp increases. While official statistics report a 24% year-on-year inflation rate, market prices suggest much higher hikes.

A bucket of yogurt, which was 500,000 rials ($0.53) last year, now costs 760,000 rials ($0.81)—a 52% increase.

A 24-pack of toilet paper, once priced at 1.78 million rials ($1.89), now costs 3.93 million rials ($4.18), marking a 121% surge.

Families' statements about the price of various types of powdered milk also show that in February this year, the price of this essential product for infants has increased by 150 to 200 percent compared to the same time last year.

Rent and housing costs keep soaring

Inflation has also made housing less affordable. The Statistical Center of Iran reported a 37.6% increase in rent prices last month, but a nationwide survey by Iran International suggests that rents have risen by an average of nearly 78% over the past year. Many tenants have been forced to downsize or move to less expensive areas.

A resident of Tehran’s Yousef Abad neighborhood, who previously paid 240 million rials ($260) per month in rent, had to move to a smaller apartment due to rising costs. “I now pay 400 million rials ($430) a month for a place that is 10 square meters smaller,” he said.

While low-income citizens have long struggled with inflation, the economic crisis has now eroded the financial security of middle-class families. Many have reduced their spending on non-essential goods, and in some cases, even food quality has suffered.

With average monthly incomes now at just $120, while basic living costs exceed $500, over 30% of the population has fallen below the poverty line.