NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
The Iranian government said its citizens would receive a monthly payment equivalent to around $7 to ease economic pressures as protests spread across the country, according to reports.
The announcement was reportedly made by government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani on Iranian state television on Monday.
She said the measure aimed to “preserve household purchasing power, control inflation and ensure food security,” according to the New York Times.
The outlet also said the plan represents a move away from long-standing import subsidies in favor of direct aid to citizens.
Iran crackdown rocks Middle East as analysts weigh US options without military intervention
A protester clashes with Iranian security forces in clashes amid nationwide unrest, according to footage released by Iranian opposition group National Council of Resistance of Iran. (CNRI)
Under the proposal, about $10 billion spent each year subsidizing certain imports will now be returned directly to the public.
Eligible Iranians will receive one million Iranian tomans, or about $7, and in the form of credit that can be used to purchase goods.
The labor minister said the payments would go to around 80 million people, the majority of Iran’s population.
PROTESTS SPREAD ACROSS IRAN AS REGIME THREATENS US FORCES AS ‘LEGITIMATE TARGETS’ AFTER Trump WARNING
Protesters march through downtown Tehran, Iran, Monday, December 29, 2025. (Fars News Agency via AP)
Iran’s economy has been hit by sanctions and falling oil revenues, leading to protests.
The currency has lost more than half its value against the US dollar.
The Statistical Center of Iran, a state-run body under Iranian rule, reported in December that the average annual inflation rate had also reached 42.2 percent, according to news reports.
The payments were announced amid widespread protests bringing together traders, business owners and university students, according to the Times. Markets were closed and rallies took place on campuses.
IRAN’S KHAMENEI ENVIES PROTESTERS AS NATIONAL ANTI-REGIME UNREST GROWS
Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei pictured seated next to a senior Iranian military official. (Getty Images)
As previously reported by Fox News Digital, according to the American organization Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRAI), the intensity of the protests reached at least 78 cities and 222 locations.
The demonstrators are demanding the end of the regime controlled by Supreme Guide Ali Khamenei, 86 years old.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The group said the regime had killed at least 20 people, including three children, and arrested 990 people. Khamenei’s security forces arrested more than 40 children, HRAI noted.
Benjamin Weinthal of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.
