TEHRAN: Iranians responding to an online appeal said they could not afford emergency kits or find safe shelter if fighting resumes with the United States and Israel.
Iran International asked its Instagram followers whether they would prepare supplies for another war. The question drew about 4,000 replies, with many citing rising prices, inadequate shelters and exhaustion after earlier conflicts.
One respondent estimated that a basic emergency kit would cost 200 million rials ($73). Another questioned how someone earning 250 million rials ($91) monthly could afford supplies costing at least 150 million rials ($55).
“We buy yoghurt in four instalments,” one person wrote, questioning how families could stockpile food. Iran’s Statistical Centre reported point-to-point inflation of 88.7% for Mehr, the Iranian month that ended in October.
Some respondents could afford only basic hygiene products and medicines. Others had already stockpiled essential medication for chronic conditions, fearing prolonged disruption to services. Access to shelter was another concern.
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Tehran City Council Chairman Mehdi Chamran called on September 15 for metro stations to serve as emergency shelters. He had previously acknowledged that the capital lacked fully equipped facilities for residents.
Several people also questioned whether emergency supplies would help during extended electricity, water and gas outages.
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First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said on September 27 that damage to gas infrastructure during earlier conflicts had reduced supplies and worsened energy shortages.
The responses reflected fatigue after a 12-day war in June 2025 and a 40-day conflict from February to April this year.
In October, The Atlantic reported that the Trump administration was considering renewed strikes after the US midterm elections, with energy infrastructure among the potential targets.
Some respondents expressed hope that further conflict could bring political change. Others described years of uncertainty and said they no longer feared another war as they once had.
(With input from Iran International)
