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Iranian official: War cost us $200bn, increased citizens’ hardship

A member of Iran’s Expediency Discernment Council has acknowledged that the recent war caused major economic losses for Iran, saying it pushed the economy back by an estimated $200 billion at a time when the country is already facing living-cost pressures and high inflation affecting the middle class.

According to Iran International, Mohammad Reza Bahonar, a member of the Expediency Discernment Council, said the recent war resulted in heavy economic losses and delayed Iran’s economic development by around $200 billion.

In remarks carried by Jamearan, Bahonar said Iran was already facing difficult economic conditions before the war began, noting that inflation over the past eight years had reached around 1,000 per cent.

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He added that the economic impact has clearly affected living standards, with many middle-class citizens moving into lower-income groups and finding their incomes insufficient to cover basic needs.

He said some employees’ salaries do not last until mid-month, and in some cases not even a third of the month, adding that a three-person family in Tehran cannot meet basic living costs even with a monthly income of 50 million tomans.

At the same time, Bahonar stressed that despite the financial burden of the war, it did not achieve the opposing side’s objectives. “In war, sweets are not distributed,” he said. “But despite all the costs imposed on us, the enemy did not achieve any of its goals.”

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