Iran to give citizens roughly $7 a month as protests continue

Iran's government announced on Monday plans to provide every citizen with a monthly payment equivalent to around seven dollars as the country faces protests and an economic crisis. The government spokeswoman, Fatameh Mohajerani, said the measure was aimed at "preserving households' purchasing power, controlling inflation, and ensuring food security." She said the $10 billion once spent annually to subsidize some imports would instead be used to pay citizens directly.

The payments will amount to one million Iranian tomans — around seven dollars — and will be provided in the form of credit to eligible Iranians for the purchase of certain goods; she did not specify which items. The labor minister said the credits would be handed out to about 80 million Iranians.

The announcement follows protests that began in late December, when merchants, traders and university students in many cities shut marketplaces and demonstrated on campuses. Over the past year Iran's currency has lost more than half its value against the dollar, and official statistics showed inflation exceeded 42 percent in December alone.

The protests, in their ninth day, have erupted in 22 of Iran's 31 provinces, and chants have in many cases gone beyond economic demands to calls for freedom and the ouster of the country's leadership. Critics say the payments cannot reverse the severity of the crisis.

Key Topics

World, Iran, Iran Protests, Fatameh Mohajerani, Masoud Pezeshkian, Inflation