15/05/2026
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15/05/2026
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TEHRAN, May 15: Iranian citizens are reporting worsening economic pressure marked by severe medicine shortages and rapidly rising drug prices, according to messages sent to Iran International, while Iranian officials simultaneously called for reforms to global governance at a BRICS meeting in New Delhi.
Several residents described sharp increases in the cost of essential medicines and difficulty obtaining basic treatments. One account cited a seizure-control medicine, Liskantin syrup, rising from about 9 million rials (around $5) last year to 42 million rials (about $23), while remaining difficult to source.
Another message said vitamin B6 and B12 tablets had reached about 13 million rials (roughly $7), making them unaffordable for many patients. A pharmacy worker in Shahr-e Qods also described a case in which a father attempting to buy medicine for his child could not afford it, even with a government electronic voucher, and tried unsuccessfully to sell it to raise funds.
In a separate development, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi addressed a BRICS meeting in New Delhi, calling for reform of the United Nations Security Council, describing it as “not a choice, but a necessity for the survival of the United Nations,” according to reports from IRGC-affiliated Tasnim.
Araghchi said Iran seeks a Security Council that better reflects global representation, arguing that institutions should represent all regions and that BRICS could play a role in strengthening multilateral governance.
He also criticized what he described as unilateral practices in global politics, including sanctions and selective application of international law, saying they reflect a deeper crisis in the current global order.
