Iran Implements Rationing Amid US Sanctions and Economic Collapse

The Government of Iran is implementing a strategy of domestic self-sufficiency and energy rationing to survive new economic sanctions and infrastructure damage caused by U.S. and Israeli bombing. The country faces a daily gasoline deficit of 15 million liters, leading to long queues and fuel quotas for private vehicles in cities such as Tehran, Mashhad, and Karaj. Annual inflation has reached 66 percent, with food prices surging over 128 percent and the national currency hitting a record low of over two million to the dollar.

To stabilize the economy, Economy Minister Ali Madanizadeh detailed a two-year plan to increase domestic food production to 90 percent. Central Bank Governor Abdolnasser Hemmati claims that essential goods remain funded through cash stockpiles, arguing that enduring hardship is distinct from the collapse the U.S. seeks. However, the economic strain has triggered panic buying and labor protests among oil workers, teachers, and pensioners, specifically in Asaluyeh and Bandar-e Mahshahr.

While President Masoud Pezeshkian and Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf have called for ending the war to shore up the economy, the government is simultaneously preparing for internal instability. To prevent a political uprising, the state has returned Hossein Taeb to command the Basij to expand surveillance and intelligence networks. Police Commander Ahmad-Reza Radan has explicitly identified unemployment and fuel shortages as potential triggers for nationwide unrest.