One Rate, 31 Provinces: Iran's Economic Press Maps an Uneven Squeeze as FATF Keeps Iran Blacklisted
The Iranian Economic Press Review for November 1 finds Iran's economic debate turning to how long the country can finance confrontation while protecting living standards and productive capacity. Jahan-e Sanat calls the 'neither war nor peace' condition a costly policy deadlock, and Ettela'at argues that larger food vouchers mean little without inflation control. National inflation for Mehr stood at 88.7 percent year on year, but the provincial picture is sharper. Twelve-month inflation reached 96 percent in Ilam against 63.6 percent in Tehran, Hormozgan's annual rate hit 113.7 percent, and food inflation topped 100 percent in 30 of 31 provinces. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told CNBC that Iran has no oil at sea and cited an internal U.S. projection that Iran's output could shrink by as much as 25 percent, a scenario the review says should not be read as a realized contraction. A FATF statement of October 30 keeps Iran under countermeasures. The press also reports a possible winter gas ceiling near 700 million cubic meters a day, only 107,000 of four million promised National Housing units delivered, and dispersed labor protests that do not amount to a coordinated national strike. January Brent settled at $113.43, and the free-market dollar traded near 270,100 tomans.