Iran’s president blames foreign pressure as expert warns regime's economy nears breaking point

Reports of Iranians stealing bread, cheese, nutrient and different basal groceries are fueling concerns that the country’s worsening economical situation is pushing households toward a breaking point.

An probe published Wednesday by the Iranian paper Jahan-e Sanat described supermarket workers encountering customers who allegedly concealed inexpensive nutrient items oregon ate packaged products wrong stores without paying. The accounts are anecdotal and bash not found the nationalist prevalence of nutrient theft, but analysts accidental they bespeak the mounting unit created by inflation, currency depreciation and collapsing purchasing power.

"These are anecdotal, but they align with hard data," Miad Maleki, an subordinate chap astatine the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Fox News Digital.

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"Iran is already wrong the tipping zone," Maleki said. "But a genuine ‘tipping point’ wouldn’t beryllium a azygous melodramatic event. It would look similar what’s already unfolding successful dilatory motion: currency collapse, World War II-level nutrient ostentation and present theft of staples, reaching a threshold wherever basal caloric/nutritional entree breaks down for a ample stock of the population, not conscionable the poorest."

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, speaks during a gathering of nationalist relations officials successful Tehran successful May, 2026. (Foad Ashtari/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

The reports surfaced arsenic Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian acknowledged that the state was facing "difficulties and problems," portion insisting during a televised code Wednesday that Iran remained almighty and respected.

"The force is exerting unit successful an effort to provoke the radical into protesting," Pezeshkian said, according to an relationship of his Aug. 5 code published by Iran’s state-affiliated Press TV.

Maleki said worsening nutrient insecurity could go a trigger for renewed demonstrations, pointing to Iran’s November 2019 protests pursuing a crisp government-imposed summation successful gasoline prices.

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Vehicles determination on an avenue beneath a representation of Iran's precocious Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei connected the eve of his ceremonial successful Tehran, Iran, connected July 2, 2026.  (Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

"The regime’s ain past proves it, due to the fact that its astir unsafe moments person been economic, not ideological," Maleki said.

He cautioned, however, that economical desperation would not needfully nutrient contiguous governmental change. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Basij paramilitary forces person repeatedly demonstrated their willingness to suppress unrest alternatively than marque important economical concessions, helium said.

A supermarket worker identified lone arsenic Amirhossein told Jahan-e Sanat that helium had witnessed respective suspected thefts during the erstwhile 10 months. The worker described customers allegedly taking cheese, butter, cakes, pastries and meat, according to Iran International’s relationship of the paper investigation.

Iranians stitchery portion blocking a thoroughfare during a protestation successful Tehran, Iran connected Jan. 9, 2026.   (MAHSA / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty Images)

"I deliberation poorness is the main reason," the worker told the newspaper. "You cannot justice everyone the aforesaid way, but erstwhile idiosyncratic steals a elemental item, they are astir apt nether tremendous pressure."

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Maleki, a erstwhile Treasury Department sanctions official, said Iran’s yearly nutrient ostentation reached betwixt 112.5% and 113.8% successful March 2026, with the prices of breadstuff and cereals rising 140% and dairy products and eggs expanding 116.8%.

The Statistical Center of Iran information cited successful abstracted reports showed point-to-point ostentation of 113.8% for nutrient and beverages and 112.5% for nutrient items successful March compared with the aforesaid period a twelvemonth earlier. Bread and cereal prices accrued 140%, portion milk, food and ovum prices roseate 116.8%.

A idiosyncratic holds Iranian Rial currency arsenic the offices person not yet returned to mean operations successful Tehran, Iran connected January 15, 2026. In Iran, connected December 28, 2025, the crisp depreciation of the section currency against overseas currencies and ongoing economical problems led to protests. Although immoderate speech offices are open, overseas speech rates stay uncertain.  (Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

"While a azygous newspaper’s petty-crime roundup isn’t impervious of imminent collapse, it’s a credible grounds layered connected apical of verified macro data," Maleki said. "And erstwhile oregon if this struggle ends and marketplace request is not suppressed by a authorities of war, ostentation volition skyrocket adjacent higher."

Maleki said Iran’s currency situation has intensified the unit connected households. The U.S. dollar reached astir 1.5 cardinal rials successful January earlier surpassing 1.94 cardinal rials connected Iran’s unfastened marketplace successful July amid renewed determination conflict.

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The government’s response, Maleki said, has included issuing monthly currency credits worthy astir $7 astatine the open-market speech complaint aft eliminating subsidized speech rates for definite imports. He argued that removing those subsidies contributed to further terms increases.

Lebanese civilian defence workers hunt for victims successful the rubble of a gathering destroyed successful an Israeli airstrike a time earlier successful cardinal Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, April 9, 2026. (Hassan Ammar/AP Photo)

The captious threshold, helium added, would travel erstwhile entree to basal nutrition deteriorates not lone among Iran’s poorest citizens but crossed a ample information of the population.

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The supermarket accounts bash not beryllium that the Iranian authorities is connected the verge of collapse. Maleki argues, however, that they supply an progressively disposable motion that the country’s economical situation is affecting Iranians’ quality to spend basal necessities.