Lebanese President Joseph Aoun was quoted in an interview with a domestic news outlet which was withdrawn without explanation that he had confronted Iran's security chief about the Tehran-backed Shi'ite armed group Hezbollah.
Across Iran’s rice-producing provinces, several main varieties are prized, and priced, above others, including the premium Tarom Hashemi, and the cheaper Fajr and Shiroudi varieties.
Research by Iran International shows that premium Tarom Hashemi rice is now being sold for up to four million rials (about $3.56) per kilogram.
A year ago, it sold for around 1.2 million rials (about $1.07) – a rise of more than 230% in just twelve months.
“Last year I bought this same rice for 1.2 million rials,” said Farhad, 38, from Karaj. “Now it’s 3.5 million, and I am sure it's not as genuine as it once was. Khamenei has spent over four decades chasing war, missiles and chanting ‘death to this or that.’ Now we can’t even afford rice.”
In Tehran, Fereshteh, a mother of two, said prices have soared in recent months. “Five months ago, it was 1.87 million rials (about $1.66). Today in the supermarket, it’s 3.57 million (about $3.17),” she told Iran International.
Rising inflation and a weakening currency have helped drive up costs of living in Iran and economic pain has deepened as Western and European-triggered international sanctions compound the country's international isolation.
A standoff over Iran's disputed nuclear program lingers as negotiations to resolve the impasse appear elusive. Tehran, which denies seeking nuclear weapons, rejects US demands to end domestic enrichment and rein in its missile capabilities and support for armed allies in the region.
The latest figures from Tehran’s Municipal Market Organization – where goods are sold below retail – show Tarom Hashemi rice each priced at 3.35 million rials (about $2.97) per kilogram, with other varieties ranging between 2.1 million rials ($1.87) and 2.75 million rials ($2.44).
Yet shoppers say such prices are deceptive as they allege stores mix low-grade grains into premium brands. True top-quality rice, they say, now costs between 3.5 million rials ($3.11) and 4 million rials ($3.56) per kilo.
Mid-range varieties also more pricey
Recent market data show that Shiroudi rice, which sold for 830,000 rials (about $0.74) per kilogram last November, now ranges between 2.1 million rials (about $1.87) and 2.35 million rials (about $2.09). Based on the lowest price, this marks a 153% annual increase.
Fajr rice has followed a similar trajectory: it rose from 900,000 rials (about $0.80) per kilogram last year to 2–2.75 million rials (about $1.78–$2.44) today – an increase of at least 122%.
One kilogram of Iranian rice feeds about five people.
Iran International’s analysis shows that each plate of rice now costs 800,000 to 1 million rials (about 71-89 cents), while even a single spoonful costs at least around 40,000 rials (about 4 cents).
For a family of four, consuming rice once daily – about 15 to 20 kilograms per month – means spending 70 to 100 million rials (about $62–$89), nearly half the average Iranian monthly income, which stands below $200.
Rice, once described as the daily heartbeat of Iranian cuisine, has become a measure of economic despair.
“I grew up in Gilan where rice was sacred,” said Mitra, 51, a retired teacher. “Now I can’t even afford one bag. What kind of country turns its own staple into gold?”
“Iranian rice has a unique aroma, texture, and flavor that perfectly matches our cuisine,” said Banafsheh, 44, from Tehran. “Foreign varieties – Indian, Pakistani, or Thai – can never replace it in Iranian cooking.
"Our rice is what we serve at gatherings; it’s a sign of respect for guests," she added. "But now, many of us can’t even fill our own plates with it. We’ve been forced to switch to foreign rice, and even that is becoming unaffordable.”
Profiteering, mismanagement
“While the global price for premium rice is about one dollar per kilogram, Iranian consumers pay the equivalent of over three dollars,” Agricultural economist Amir Aghajanian, a member of the Rice Producers Association, told the state-run Fars news agency.
Production costs for northern farmers, he said, are around 1.45 million rials (about $1.29) per kilogram, but middlemen push retail prices above 3.5 million rials (about $3.11). “Excessive profit-taking and weak market oversight have inflated prices far beyond production costs,” Aghajanian asserted.
Iran’s agriculture minister recently revealed that one importer earned $250 million in illicit profit through price manipulation and hoarding, highlighting deep flaws in import oversight.
Other agricultural experts say the crisis runs deeper: rising input costs, fragmented farmlands and outdated tools all push production expenses higher.
“When farmers use traditional methods on small plots, costs rise naturally,” one rice market analyst in Lahijan told Fars. “But when corrupt traders control imports, consumers suffer twice.”
For centuries, rice has anchored Iranian cuisine – from Chelo Kabab, the classic dish of steamed rice served with grilled meat, to Zereshk Polo, rice cooked with barberries and saffron next to chicken.
But in today’s Iran, families ration it like medicine. “Even foreign rice is slipping out of reach,” Farhad from Karaj added. “Our dinner tables are shrinking while the government talks about resistance and dignity.”
As one grocer told Iran International, “Rice was the food of everyone – rich and poor. Now it’s become the food of memory.”
CNN Arabic and Lebanese news website Naharnet quoted the interview by ASAS Media in which Aoun, 60, the ex-commander of the US-backed Lebanese army who became president this year describes an August meeting with Ali Larijani.
“Larijani… heard very harsh words from me. He seemed extremely tense: 'The Shi'ites of Lebanon are my responsibility, not yours.'" Lebanese outlet ASAS Media quoted Aoun as saying in the interview according to the news reports.
The link to the original article on the ASAS Media website was down, as was a report on the interview that appeared on pan-Arab news outlet Al Arabiya.
Lebanon's presidency and ASAS Media did not immediately respond to Iran International requests for comment.
"Hezbollah, in its military wing, is finished," the withdrawn report quoted Aoun as saying. "(Iran) come to me aware of this reality and this outcome, but they are keen on an honorable end and a decent exit, and this is exactly what we are striving to achieve."
"(My) positions of this caliber and higher made him suppress his tension until his legs shook. He left the palace in a state of shock. Then he returned and asked for an appointment, but I did not receive him."
Aoun has broken with decades of precedent by publicly advocating for the disarmament of Hezbollah, long a policy priority for Israel and Western countries, after it suffered painful blows from Israeli attacks last year.
Founded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in 1982, Hezbollah has grown into Lebanon’s most powerful military and political force. It has fought multiple wars with Israel and is a key member of Tehran’s “Axis of Resistance” alliance.
The group, which fought a nearly twenty-year insurgency which ultimately ejected Israel from occupied South Lebanon in 2000, is designated a terrorist organization by the United States and several Western countries.
Larijani meeting
According to a statement from the Lebanese presidency posted on X following their meeting in August, Aoun told Larijani that no group in Lebanon is permitted to bear arms or rely on foreign backing after the cabinet approved the goals of a US-backed roadmap to disarm Hezbollah.
Aoun also warned against foreign interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs, saying the country was open to cooperation with Iran but only within the bounds of national sovereignty and mutual respect.
“We reject any interference in our internal affairs,” Aoun said, adding that “it is forbidden for anyone … to bear arms and to use foreign backing as leverage,” Aoun said according to the statement.
“The friendship we seek with Iran must be with all Lebanese, not through one sect or component alone,” Aoun added.
Tehran's take
A report by Revolutionary Guards-affiliated Tasnim News at the time did not indicate any tensions.
Tasnim said that during his meeting with the president, Larijani spoke of deep historical and cultural links between the two countries.
“If one day the people of Lebanon are in distress, we in Iran will also feel that pain. We will stand by the dear people of Lebanon in all circumstances,” Tasnim quoted Larijani as saying.
Larijani also said he had renewed his invitation for Aoun to visit Tehran and emphasized Iran’s readiness to help Lebanon in the field of reconstruction, according to local Iranian media.
Later on Tuesday, pro-Iran Lebanese news outlet Al Mayadeen reported, citing unnamed sources in the Secretariat of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, that the reports circulating about the content of the meeting were inaccurate.
Al Mayadeen cited the sources as expressing surprise at what had been published, saying it was entirely unlikely that the “absurd” phrases attributed to the Lebanese president had ever been said by him.
In early August, Washington presented Lebanese officials with a US-supported roadmap that called on Beirut to issue a decree within 15 days committing to Hezbollah’s full disarmament by December 31, 2025.
Lebanon’s cabinet in September discussed the US plan and approved its objectives, while stopping short of setting a timeline.
A ceasefire brokered by France and the United States between Hezbollah and Israel came into effect last November, requiring phased Israeli withdrawals from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army across the area.
Both Hezbollah and Israel continue to accuse their opponent continuous violations of the ceasefire.
