Iranian First Vice President Mohammad Mokhber reassured the people that the government subsidies for bread and medicine will not be removed.
Speaking during a live televised speech, Mokhber said that the government will continue to pay the subsidies allocated to bread and medicine for all classes of the Iranian society.
His remarks comes as the government plans to remove subsidized foreign currency for the imports of essential goods.
Referring to the war between Russia and Ukraine and the consequent shortage of food in the global market, Mokhber said that he had no idea how long this situation will continue.
The government has allocated subsidies for traditional bread which will be paid in the form of electronic subsidy cards, the vice president said, adding that a monthly subsidy will also be paid to compensate the rise in the prices of other essential goods.
He said that the subsidy paid to the less privileged classes of society will fully cover the price rises while the people with higher incomes will have to pay part of the rise of prices.
The global increase in the prices of essential goods has even made some European countries to take steps toward rationing some goods for the first time ever, Mokhber said, adding that in this situation, the Iranian government was also forced to regulate its subsidy schemes so as to prevent the shortages of basic commodities and their trafficking to other countries.
He assured the Iranian people that they will have no difficulty meeting their needs for essential commodities.