Iranian households buckle under war-time price surge as wages erode

Eight months of war with the United States has pushed Iranian consumer prices up 90 percent, squeezing household budgets across the country.

• Consumer prices rose about 90 percent year-on-year in September, with food and beverages up 121.8 percent and rents up 32.8 percent.
• The average monthly wage of roughly 92 dollars covers less than a third of the estimated 336-dollar monthly cost of living for a family of three.
• Economy Minister Ali Madani Zadeh apologized Tuesday for rising living costs, saying workers, employees, and retirees bear the heaviest burden.
• Central bank governor Abdolnaser Hemmati rejected American claims of an Iranian economic collapse, describing them as an inaccurate perception.