Nasim Ahmadi

Kermanshah — Before the outbreak of the recent war, the policies of the Islamic Republic had made obtaining food an elusive dream for a large segment of the population.

According to official statistics, one-third of annual deaths in Iran are attributed to nutritional crises, and many children have fallen victim to this crisis. With the start of US and Israeli missile strikes, the food market was the first to be affected; prices rose rapidly, and many goods became scarce. While authorities tried to calm the situation, providing food for many families became, after more than a month, a serious, life-threatening crisis.

Iranian authorities claim that the food market is under control and that price increases have nothing to do with the war, but the truth is that basic storable goods such as rice and dried fruits have seen sharp price increases from the very beginning.

Mozhkan F., a resident of the Kahriz neighborhood in Kermanshah, says: "Authorities say there is no shortage of food supplies, but the main problem is purchasing power. When the price of one kilogram of chicken reaches nearly 400,000 tomans, while a worker's daily wage does not exceed 500,000 tomans, how can one feed a family? This is while many shops are closed, and this meager income for workers is lost."

In addition to chicken, other basic goods such as rice, beans, and oil have seen significant price increases. "The CEO of the National Union of Broiler Chicken Farmers claims that prices are completely reasonable, but this 'reasonableness' from the government's perspective is the same inflation that has severely pressured the poor."

Nasrin G., a civil society activist in Javanrud, explained: "People have started stockpiling food for fear of a potential famine, and this is a natural reaction, but not everyone can afford it. When the price of a bag of rice reaches ten million tomans, and the price of flour reaches several million tomans, only the rich can stockpile food. In the market, long queues in front of bakeries show that bread is the only food available to the poor, and many are forced to survive on plain bread."

The impact of rising prices was not limited to pressuring consumers; supply methods also contributed to fueling the crisis. Some suppliers sold their goods in open auctions in the early days of the war.

Afsaneh H., the wife of a worker at a flour mill in Kermanshah, recounts: "The mill owner did not give flour except to buyers who offered a higher price. In fact, he had put the flour up for open auction and managed to raise its price twentyfold."

Her comments come at a time when Iranian authorities claim that the distribution and supply network for bakery flour is under control and that there has been no price increase. However, evidence indicates that flour and bread have become essential and necessary food items in people's lives.

Contrary to authorities' claims of price stability, the food market is suffering from complex mafia networks and a deep class divide that has effectively deprived a large segment of society of the ability to meet daily needs. Since the beginning of the war, many construction projects, companies, and daily wage jobs have been closed, and the income of a large segment of workers and the poor has dropped to zero. In the economic graph, food prices have risen at an unprecedented rate, while incomes have fallen to their lowest levels.

These two opposing trends have caused a real crisis in people's daily lives. In the marginalized areas of Kermanshah, food has nearly disappeared from people's tables. Whereas poor families used to eat one small meal a day, with the outbreak of war, their eating has been reduced to one meal every few days.

In general, it can be said that the outbreak of this war may not have directly caused casualties, but its repercussions on food have led to the deaths of many from hunger — victims whose names will not be mentioned in official media under the label of "hunger victims," because the official narrative focuses only on the war and ignores the silent death caused by poverty and malnutrition.