Iranians stock up on food and medicine as fears of new US fighting grow
Iranians are stocking up on food and medicine as fears grow of dire shortages under a tightening US embargo, Al Jazeera reports from Tehran.
TEHRAN — Iranians are stocking up on food and medicines as fears grow of dire shortages under a tightening United States embargo, with a US naval blockade and a pivot to draconian sanctions threatening imports, Al Jazeera reports.
Tehran’s stores remain stocked, but shoppers are watching the shelves, and anxiety has deepened after social media posts urged people to keep several days of food in case of a new round of fighting with the US.
Ali, 51, was loading a trolley packed with rice, flour, pasta, pulses, cooking oil and canned food, convinced Iran’s adversary is seeking to “starve” the people to turn them against their government. “This is not a war in the traditional sense. It targets the people to put pressure on the authorities,” he said.
Haj Pasandideh, 71, a grocer, said warehouses were well stocked but the weakening rial pushed prices up daily, prompting him to bulk-buy; he sometimes caps cooking oil at one bottle per sale.
Apple grower Mehran sold only a third of this year’s harvest, all inside Iran, as neighbouring countries halted trade. “The blockade has not only closed the sea and air but also the land routes but in an undeclared manner,” he said.
Some pharmacies in southern Tehran ran out of infant formula and dozens of medications. “Imported medicines are disappearing fast,” said Mahsa, 23, a pharmacy assistant, adding that “smart systems” now track each person’s medication purchases.
Washington has banned Iranian airlines worldwide and is pressing countries to cut trade ties. President Masoud Pezeshkian told the UN General Assembly last week the blockade would prevent food and medicine reaching Iranians; on Saturday, President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s seven-day truce offer to reopen the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for economic relief. As the war enters its eighth month, Al Jazeera reports, IR expert Alireza Taghavinia said: “The siege imposed by force will only be lifted by force.”
Sources
- Al Jazeera, “Iranians stock up on food and medicine as fears of new US fighting grow”, 29 September 2026, Tehran: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/9/29/iranians-stock-up-on-food-and-medicine-as-fears-of-new-us-fighting-grow
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