Sanctions still harsh for Iran: “Wherever you are, people complain about high prices”

Endless negotiations in Vienna, but nothing is moving forward. At the start of this year, a return to the nuclear deal seemed a matter of days, now it seems stalled. So there are still severe sanctions that are plunging Iran into an unprecedented economic crisis. Wherever you are in Iran, people complain about the high prices. Inflation is enormous and international payments are made virtually impossible due to sanctions.

“Business is bad,” said Majid, owner of a baby goods store in Tehran. The street full of baby shops is deserted. Majid’s neighbor vacuums the car seats so they don’t bite the dust. “People come, but as soon as they see the prices, they walk out of the store,” says Majid. “My son has been married for ten years but refuses to think about children. It’s just priceless. These days, new couples opt for a dog or a cat instead of a baby,” he laughs. he.

For Hamidreza and Golroo, it has become two little birds. They married in 2015 but find present-day Iran absolutely not a suitable place to start a family. Besides, they can’t afford it. Authorities have launched a campaign to reverse the trend, but the birth rate is the lowest in 50 years. Iranians therefore feel the economic catastrophe not only in their pocketbooks, but it also has all sorts of other consequences.

Correspondent Daisy Mohr was in Tehran and visited Hamidreza and Golroo.