Iranians struggling to make ends meet

FRANCE 24 English

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00:00This is Mr. Kouchaki, a retired cab driver. The 73-year-old is struggling to survive.

00:07There are a lot of hardships. There's no work at all.

00:11Mr. Kouchaki had previously worked as a mechanic for 30 years.

00:15Later, he was forced to pick up work as a taxi driver for 28 years.

00:21Now, although officially retired, he continues to work as a cab driver.

00:26I am in a very tight situation and have a lot of problems.

00:30I don't know what I should do and no one is helping us.

00:33The government and parliament have set the minimum wage for retirees at $159.

00:39But Mr. Kouchaki earns even less, a scenario familiar to many retirees in Iran.

00:46My salary is $72 and I pay $166 in rent.

00:52Rent inflation is also a widespread issue in Tehran.

00:57The government has capped rent increases at 25% this year.

01:01But behind closed doors, landlords are hiking rents by more than 35%.

01:06Real estate agents complain about a lack of customers.

01:10Mr. Kouchaki's two sons help him pay his rent.

01:13We went with Mr. Kouchaki to try and find a cheaper place for him and his Sikh wife to no avail.

01:20There is inflation in the housing market.

01:23People are moving from other districts to this neighborhood

01:26and residents of this neighborhood are moving to cheaper suburban areas due to the rent inflation.

01:30Even worse than rent inflation is the surging cost of food.

01:34Many supermarkets have little or no customers

01:38because they can only afford to pick up a handful of essential goods at a time.

01:42Mr. Kouchaki is no exception.

01:44He bought a yogurt and four eggs for 92 cents, only enough to last him a day or two.

01:51Meat is expensive. Chicken is expensive.

01:55We haven't purchased meat, chicken or fish for six months.

01:59Mr. Kouchaki refused to come to the butchers with us as he knew he couldn't afford anything there.

02:05Butchers in Tehran are also suffering because they don't sell as much as they used to.

02:10People used to buy five kilos of meat a month, but now only buy two. We have no income.

02:16Economic woes are weighing heavy on the Iranian people.

02:20Few follow international developments as their days are spent simply trying to find ways to make ends meet.

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